A Family of Heroes
by phoenixqueen
Summary: Buffy and her cousin Scott Summers haven't seen each other since they were children, before their powers emerged, but they've kept in touch via email. When Buffy learns that she is fated to die at the hands of the Master, she emails Scott to say goodbye.
1. Unwanted Knowledge

**A Family of Heroes**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story! All references to **__Buffy the Vampire Slayer__** belong to Joss Whedon, and all references to **__X-Men__** belong to Marvel comics and Stan Lee. I am making no profit on this story; I am simply letting my overactive plot bunnies out to play!**_

**Summary**: This story came as a response to a challenge issued by Clandestine on the Buffy crossover site "Twisting the Hellmouth". Buffy Summers and her cousin Scott Summers haven't seen each other since they were children, before Buffy became the Slayer and before Scott's mutation manifested. Ever since Scott started at Xavier's school, however, they've kept in touch through email and phone calls, although neither has revealed their secret to the other. When Buffy hears that she is destined to die fighting the Master, her despair forces her to write to her cousin to say good-bye. Meanwhile, Scott is dealing with the aftermath of the events in the X-Men movie.

**Rating**: FR-18, I guess, mainly because of the violence, and that just to be on the safe side.

**Timeline**: "Buffy" Season 1 episode 12 "Prophecy Girl", and just after the events of the first X-Men movie.

**Warnings**: I'm going to be going for some heavy angst here, so you may want to have a tissue ready.

**Author's Notes**: The first few chapters of this story are going to deal with the events of _Prophecy Girl_. There will be a lot of dialogue taken directly from this episode, so bear with me please!

* * *

**Chapter One: **_**Unwanted Knowledge**_

_Clang!_ Sixteen-year-old Buffy Summers slammed her locker closed, subtly tucking a wooden stake up her sleeve as she turned, hiding the weapon from the eyes of two of her classmates who were leaving the school after a lengthy cheerleading practice. Both girls glanced at her slyly and giggled as they passed, whispering to each other once they felt they were out of earshot. "She is so weird, you know?" "Oh yeah. You'd think someone from L.A would be cooler, but…"

Buffy sighed as she caught the trailing end of the conversation. While most people wouldn't have been able to hear the snide comment, Buffy wasn't so fortunate. This gig that she'd been dragged into came with some definite downsides, enhanced hearing being one of them, and for a girl in high school, it was one of the worst as far as she was concerned because she couldn't help overhearing comments like that from her classmates.

Moving over to the sinks, she allowed the stake to fall from inside her sleeve, and she set it on the sink behind the knobs, turning on the water as she did so. Glancing up into the mirror, she studied herself with a critical eye. _Definitely need to get more sleep. These hours are seriously killing me._ She brushed a hand through her bangs, and fussed with the few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail before a gurgling noise caught her attention. She looked down, expecting to see that the drain was clogged with gum, or something, only to stare in shock as she comprehended what she was seeing.

Buffy Summers had seen a lot of things in the last two years, and didn't shock easily anymore. Or so she told herself. But all those thoughts went straight out of her mind at the sight of blood pouring from the faucet. She stood there for a moment, simply staring, before she shook her head and turned off the faucet, allowing the blood to run down the drain. There was an ugly red stain, but the janitors would take care of it later. Grabbing her stake and slipping it back up her sleeve, she headed for the door. This was definitely a Giles-issue. Fortunately, she knew he'd be in his office, since he was still deeply involved in researching the Master.

The halls of the school were deserted, now that all the cheerleaders had gone home for the evening, and Buffy traveled the distance from the girls' locker room to the library in less than three minutes, a personal best for her, and she wasn't even trying! Shoving the double doors open, she started muttering to herself as she approached Giles' office. "Giles, you are not going to believe this…"

Voices caught her attention as she belatedly realized that Giles was talking urgently with someone, while still trying to maintain his "stuffy British librarian" act. His voice was rising in tone as he struggled to maintain his composure. "It's clear. It's what's going to happen. Uh, it's happening now!" Pages rustled as he passed a book to whomever he was talking to.

Buffy moved closer, trying to see who else was in the tiny office. Then a tall figure stepped over into the light cast by the lamp on Giles' desk and the light cast his features in a soft, warm glow, making him look more handsome than ever. Buffy recognized him instantly. "Angel," she breathed, feeling her heart race a little at the sight of the handsome – _oh who are you kidding, Buff, more like incredibly hot_ – man. So what if he was a vampire? He was still gorgeous and made her heart race every time she saw him.

Angel was poring over the book in his hands intently; his face dismayed as he found the passage that Giles was referring to. His face twisted, oddly enough, into an expression of pain and denial. "It can't be. You've gotta be wrong."

Giles' voice sounded oddly anguished, although he was still keeping it as controlled as possible. Whatever they were discussing, it was obviously a painful subject. "I've checked it against all my other volumes. It's very real."

Angel shook his head. "There's gotta be some way around it." At this point, he seemed to be having more success than Giles in controlling his voice, but Buffy could still hear the note of desperation. She stopped, close enough to hear their conversation clearly, but far enough away that she wouldn't be easily noticed. She wondered what Angel was doing here. She knew Giles didn't fully trust him, but yet, here he was. What was going on?

Giles spoke again, more urgently, obviously trying to get the facts through to the vampire. "Listen. Some prophecies are, are a bit dodgy. They're, they're mutable. Buffy herself has, has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass."

Buffy's interest peaked further, at hearing her name. They were discussing her? But why all the hurt and anguish…why did Angel look so upset? She didn't think that she'd done anything to upset him in the last few weeks, but then again, she'd barely seen him since the incident with Darla. He seemed to be avoiding her.

Angel whipped around to stare at Giles. "Then you're reading it wrong." He shoved the book at Giles, roughly, but Giles just took it, not commenting, which told Buffy more about his state of mind. Giles never let the gang abuse the books in this way.

Giles finally lost all control as he snapped at the vampire, his voice rising angrily. "I wish to God I were! But it's very plain! Tomorrow night, Buffy will face the Master, and she will die."

Buffy heard the words, but her mind was roaring, refusing to process them for a long minute. Giles' words echoed in her mind. "Buffy will face the Master, and she will die"_…die…die…tomorrow night._

As the words finally sank into her numb, disbelieving brain, she did the only thing that felt right. She laughed, even as Angel said, "Well, have you verified the text?" She continued to laugh, her voice growing louder and more hysterical as Giles and Angel heard her and turned to face her. Angel stepped out of the office, while Giles lingered in the door. Buffy backed away from him and stopped near the large study table in the middle of the room.

She looked at Giles, her Watcher, her voice hollow when she finally spoke. "So that's it, huh? I remember the drill. One Slayer dies, next one's called! Wonder who she is. Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?"

Giles cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "Buffy, I…"

She interrupted him before he could say anything more. "They say how he's going to kill me? Do you think it'll hurt?" At this she choked up and had to stop as tears began to flow down her face as small rivers. Angel stepped toward her, arms outstretched to gather her in close, but she backed up rapidly. "Don't touch me!" She took several heaving breaths, before facing Giles again, as betrayal and hurt washed over her. She couldn't believe that this man, whom she had trusted for almost a year, who had been a mentor, and a friend, would keep this kind of a secret from her. He told _Angel_, but not her…not the person this stupid prophecy was meant for! "Were you even going to tell me?"

Giles looked even more uncomfortable, obviously picking up on the tone in her voice. His own voice was quiet, and slightly embarrassed and ashamed when he spoke. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to. That there was…some way around it. I…"

Something in Buffy snapped and the answer came to her. "I've got a way around it. I quit!"

Angel looked at her, his voice quiet as he tried to soothe her. "It's not that simple…" he began.

"I'm making it that simple! I quit! I resign, I-I'm fired, and you can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over!"

Giles cleared his throat. "I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the…the signs indicate…"

That was the last straw. Was he not listening to a word that she had said? All her rage and frustration, and even fear, came flying to the surface as she moved into a full-blown fit. "The signs?" Spotting a book on the table next to her, she seized it, and threw it at Giles' head with all her strength. He dodged and it thudded off the wall, which was a good thing, because if it had hit him he might very well have been knocked unconscious. "READ ME THE SIGNS!" She grabbed another book and threw that one too, but in her anger and anguish her aim was off and that one thudded against the wall to his right. "TELL ME MY FORTUNE! YOU'RE SO USEFUL, SITTING HERE WITH ALL YOUR BOOKS! YOU'RE REALLY A LOTTA HELP!"

As the last words came out of her mouth, she winced inwardly. She knew that he had been a lot of help this year. He and his books had saved her life and the lives of her friends several times this year, and that was an unfair accusation, but right now she was too angry and upset to think closely about what she was saying.

Her words had struck Giles cold and he froze, before lowering his head and acknowledging her point. "No, I don't suppose I am." He reached for a handkerchief, and moved to dry his watering eyes. Somehow, this only made her angrier, that he was feeling sorry for himself when he was telling her that she was going to die the next night!

Angel's voice cut back in. "I know this is hard."

She lashed out at him next. "What do you know about this? You're never gonna die!"

Angel's soft brown eyes were intense. "You think I want anything to happen to you? Do you think I could stand it? We just gotta figure out a way…"

God, were they both that dense? She'd have thought that for a vampire as old as Angel, he'd have been smarter…or at least have better hearing. "I already did. I quit, remember? Pay attention!"

Giles tried again. "Buffy, if the Master rises…"

"I DON'T CARE!" Reaching up, she seized the silver cross that she wore every day. Angel had given it to her the night they first met, when he was playing the cryptic wise guy, before she knew what he really was. Yanking with all her strength, she snapped the chain. There was a slight pain in her neck as the chain dug into her skin before giving way to her strength. As if that slight pain was a release, she suddenly calmed down, her own words echoing back to her. "I don't care." She looked at both of them in turn before focusing on Giles. "Giles, I'm sixteen years old." Her voice hitched. "I don't want to die."

Dead silence fell over the room as she flung the cross to the ground. Giles and Angel stared at her and she stared back for a long moment, before turning and walking out of the library, without looking back. Neither of them followed her.


	2. A Gift of Love

**Author's Note: Okay folks! This chapter has been revised slightly. As I was going back through my story, I realized that I needed to add some more Angel scenes, because I didn't have very many thus far, and since this is primarily an X-Men cross, there wasn't going to be a lot of scenes with Angel as the focus. Also, I recently acquired the original shooting scripts for Seasons 1 and 2 of BtVS, and, on looking over the script for "Prophecy Girl" I found several great scenes that were cut out of the episode by Joss. So, I decided to integrate them into my story. Hopefully this will make it a little bit more unique. So if you see scenes or bits of dialogue you don't remember, no, you are not imagining things. They are simply bits that were cut out that I decided to use.**

**Chapter Two: **_**A Gift of Love**_

Somehow she made it home, although she didn't actually comprehend the journey. At some point she managed to dry her eyes so that her mother wouldn't see that she had been crying. She didn't want any maternal sympathy, or probing questions right now. Her mom wouldn't understand, after all. This was a burden that she would carry alone.

Dinner was ready when she came home, and knowing that her mother would expect her to make an appearance, she headed to the bathroom to wash up. Shakily, she pulled herself together, and then joined her mother at the table.

The meal passed in a blur, and Buffy was so miserable that all she could do was pick at her food. She sensed her mother's concern, but Joyce wisely chose not to call her on it, instead talking about the new show that would be opening at the gallery in a few weeks. Buffy responded politely, but all her attention was focused on the scene in the library and Giles' dire words. As soon as the meal was over and Buffy had helped to clear the table, she ran for her room.

Once she was in the safe confines of her room, she flung herself onto her bed and wept silently. _How can he? How can he expect me to give up my life for the sake of stopping a stupid vampire? I never wanted this! I never wanted to be the Slayer!_

Finally, she cried herself out. Sitting up on the bed, she wiped her face and then ducked into the bathroom to wash her face before her mother saw the telltale evidence of tears. Re-entering her room, she looked around at a loss of what to do. Normally she'd be patrolling, but she had quit that. Finally, her eye fell on a photo album tucked into the cubby on her nightstand. Pulling it out, she sat on the edge of her bed and began to leaf through it.

There were so many photos here. Trips to the beach, birthday parties and Christmas mornings. School pictures and cheerleading competitions, a whole life spread out before her, captured with the magic of film, and all of it before she had learned of her destiny. She fingered one shot of her father that was tucked near the back of the album, and choked back tears.

A quiet knock came at the door as she fingered the photo. Her mom's voice was soft and gentle as she inquired, "Hi, honey. You alright?"

"Sure."

Joyce nodded sagely and moved into the room, her hand resting on a stuffed toy that was sitting near the desk. "Probably just full from that bite of dinner you nearly had." She turned to look at Buffy, picking up the toy. "Feel like telling me what's on your mind?"

For a moment Buffy was silent, wondering if she should confess the whole thing to her mother. No, she couldn't burden her mom with this. It was why she had worked so hard to keep her mom in the dark, and if she was forced to tell Joyce that she was prophesied to die the next night…no. But maybe…she couldn't die if she wasn't here, could she? "Mom, let's go away!" The idea brought a genuine smile to her face.

For once, she caught her mom by surprise. "What?"

"Anywhere, just for a while, all weekend!" Buffy pressed.

"Honey, I…"

"No, it'll be great! A mother-daughter thing…we can talk about all the embarrassing stuff you love to bring up!"

Joyce shook her head sadly. "You know the gallery's open on weekends."

Buffy felt her hopes fade. "Mom, please!"

"Isn't the Prom tomorrow night? Or Spring Fling, whatever they're calling it?" Joyce asked.

Buffy looked away. "I-I guess."

"Nobody asked you?"

Buffy thought about Xander's offer, but it was like a dim memory in the back of her mind compared to the conversation she'd overheard between Angel and Giles. "Oh, someone…"

Apparently her mother assumed that that was what was bothering her. "But not the right someone." At Buffy's startled look, she smiled wryly. "See, sometimes I do know what you're thinking." Putting down the toy she walked over to the closet. "Well, then, uh, this probably isn't the best time for this, but, uh…" Pulling open the doors of the closet, she showed Buffy the beautiful dress that was hanging inside.

Buffy's mouth fell open. The dress was the one she had seen at the mall the last time she and her mom had gone shopping together. It was sleeveless, made of a silky white material that fell to mid calf, with the skirt falling in long pleats that ended in delicate points. As Buffy rose slowly and stepped toward her closet Joyce smiled and shrugged. "I saw you eyeing it at the store. I figured…"

"Mom, we can't afford this."

Joyce chuckled slightly. "The way you've been eating, we can afford it."

Buffy fingered the soft material. "It's beautiful." Her voice was wistful as she pictured herself in it.

"I think you should wear it. To the dance." Joyce clarified when Buffy looked at her, confused.

"No. I-I can't go to the dance." Buffy replied, as thoughts of the dance brought up thoughts of the prophecy again. If she went out…no.

Her mom touched her shoulder. "Says who? Is it written somewhere? You should do what you want. Homecoming, my freshman year of college. I didn't have a date, so I got dressed up and I went anyway."

Buffy had never heard this story before. "Was it awful?"

Joyce smiled. "It was awful. For about an hour."

Buffy wondered at the slightly goofy look on her mom's face. "Then what happened?"

The look blossomed to a full grin. "I met your father."

"He didn't have a date either?"

"He did. And that is a much funnier story that you will not get to hear." Joyce said, clasping her hands and gazing at the ceiling as she remembered. "Oh, but it was a beautiful night!"

Buffy smiled sadly as she realized where her mom's thoughts were going. "And you had your whole life ahead of you."

Joyce nodded as she turned to go. "Yeah."

Buffy waited until her mom had left the room before fingering the material. "Must be nice."

* * *

_Angel's Apartment...The Next Morning_

"Buffy..." he murmured, his head tossing back and forth. "No. Not Buffy!" Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright. "Buffy!"

Blinking, he sat in his bed, his gaze roving around the room as he tried to figure out where he was and what he was doing. As his apartment came into focus he calmed, shaking his head to rid it of the nightmarish visions he'd been having for the past few weeks.

His nerves shrilled a sudden warning at him and he blinked again, looking down toward the foot of the bed.

Sitting on the end of the bed, just beyond his feet was a small boy. He sat cross-legged, waiting patiently for Angel to realize he was there. Angel had never seen him before, but he knew who he was immediately. _The Anointed One_.

"He said you lived like one of them. I don't understand it."

Angel smirked, his eyes never leaving the boy, his tone dry. "Maybe when you're older." It was risky, baiting this vampire. Despite his appearance, there was a reason why the others followers of the Order of Aurelius feared and respected him, and it wasn't because he was the Master's current favorite. He had power, and he instinctively knew how to use it.

"People are weak. They're stupid." the boy observed, cynically. "Why would you want to be one?"

"Did he send you?" Angel asked instead of replying. Despite the boy's power, as a Master Vampire himself, the Anointed One had very little influence on him. There were some benefits to having been around for 250 years.

The boy only nodded.

There was a long pause as the two vampires regarded each other. It was the boy who broke the silence. "He's coming. Soon. Stay out of his way."

"Why should I?" Angel countered.

"Because he doesn't like you anymore."

The boy slid quietly off the bed and started for the door, which Angel knew for a fact he had locked that morning when he had come in. Halfway there he stopped and turned back towards the older vampire.

"You **know** what he could do to you..." It was a statement of fact, not a threat, but Angel could hear the threat in the words.

Angel swallowed. His brief meeting with the Master almost 200 years ago had left him with the impression that the Master was not one to be crossed. Despite the bravado he had put on for Darla to convince her to come with him, he had known fear for the first time in his life when he had looked into the Master's eyes. Now, looking at the Anointed One's face, he had the same flash of fear that he had known only one time before, and it showed in his voice when he replied. "Yes."

The boy looked at him again. "No you don't."

With that, he was gone, the door closing quietly behind him, as Angel stared after him, not moving.


	3. Coming to an Understanding

**Author's Note: Slight revision here too, folks. See my note on chapter two for explanations.**

_**Chapter Three:**_

Buffy stood in front of her mirror, wearing the white dress as she tried to decide whether or not to go to the dance as her mom had suggested. The dress was even more beautiful on her than it had been hanging up in the closet. She gathered her long blonde hair in her hand as she played with different styles.

Pounding on the stairs alerted her a split second before Joyce hurried into the room, grabbing the doorframe to steady herself. "Buffy? There's something on the news. Willow!"

Buffy whirled around, her hair falling around her face in a golden halo as the sun reflected off of it. "What about Willow?"

Joyce gestured for Buffy to follow her as she led her into the bedroom and flipped on the news. The pretty anchorwoman was relating the story. "…The bodies of the three Sunnydale High School baseball players were discovered earlier today in the audio-visual lab at Sunnydale High, the victims of an apparently brutal attack. The names of the players have not yet been released to us. According to police, the bodies were discovered by two sophomores at the school, Cordelia Chase and Willow Rosenberg. When asked what the two girls were doing at the school on a Saturday morning, it was Miss Rosenberg who offered a reply."

The screen cut to a taped interview with Willow, who had tears streaking down her face. "The boys had promised to bring the sound equipment to the Bronze last night, so we could set up for tonight's dance this morning. When they never showed up to help and we realized that they hadn't brought the equipment, Cordelia and I came to the school to see if we could find them." She gulped back tears. "We didn't expect to find them like that…"

The anchorwoman reappeared. "In other news…"

Joyce flipped off the set and turned to Buffy. "Poor Willow."

"I'm going to go and see what I can do." Buffy said, heading for her room and grabbing the leather jacket that Angel had given her. As she headed out, she paused and gave her mom a hug. "Mom, were you going to go out tonight?"

Joyce shook her head. "Why?"

Buffy shrugged into her jacket. "I'd just feel better if you were here, especially with that guy on the streets."

"You be careful too, Buffy." Joyce said with a smile as Buffy headed out the door.

Buffy headed straight over to Willow's house, and knocked. Willow answered the door and let Buffy in, then retreated to her room and curled up on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest as tears streaked down her cheeks. Buffy sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Willow into her arms. "Ssh…its okay Wills." The two of them sat there for a long time as Willow cried.

Finally Willow stopped crying as she looked at Buffy. "Buffy, I've never seen anything like that before. I mean…I've seen so much. I thought I could take anything. But, Buffy, this…this was different."

"It'll be alright." Buffy said quietly, pushing her own problems to the back of her mind as she focused on Willow. Her friend had been so strong this year, so eager to throw herself into the fight to help Buffy after learning the truth. Seeing her this distraught hurt, and Willow didn't need to know about the fate hanging over Buffy's head.

"I'm trying to think how to say it… to explain it so you understand." Willow went on.

Buffy looked at her friend firmly. "It doesn't matter as long as you're okay."

Willow looked at her friend, sadly. "I'm not okay. I knew those guys. I go to that room every day. And when I walked in there, it…it wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs. And they had _fun_." Another few tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at her friend, confident the Slayer would know what to do. "What are we gonna do?"

"What we have to." Buffy said, rising to her feet and exhaling softly, planting a firm resolve in her mind as she pushed all her fear and worry out of her mind. Now wasn't the time to think about Giles' chilling words, his certainty. _This is the Codex…there is nothing in it that does not come to pass!_ Now was the time to simply do what she had to, what she had been Chosen to do. She looked seriously at Willow. "Promise me you'll stay in tonight, okay?"

Willow nodded and Buffy turned to leave, preparing to face what she apparently had no way to escape. Willow called as Buffy was about to leave the room. "Buffy?" When she turned back, Willow was smiling at her. "I like your dress."

Buffy looked down at it, almost having forgotten that she was wearing the beautiful dress. She looked back at Willow and smiled weakly, her voice soft and haunted. "Take care." It felt like a final good-bye, but Willow was too upset to notice, as Buffy slipped out, heading for the school. She needed to apologize to Giles, and then find out what he knew, so that she might have a fraction of a chance of surviving this night.

* * *

_Sunnydale High School_

Buffy approached the school, resolved to find a way to make it through this night. As she entered and headed for the library, she passed the computer lab. Pausing, she turned and looked back, then pushed the door open and walked into the lab. The room was dark, all the computers shut down for the night.

She hesitated for a long moment, then took a seat at one of the computers and turned it on. While Willow was the computer savvy one, Buffy knew enough to get by. As the computer came to life, Buffy entered her school id and password, and then opened her email program once the system acknowledged her.

This definitely wasn't her strong suit, but this was something that she had to do. There was someone else that deserved a good-bye. She hadn't talked to Scott since the divorce, although they frequently traded emails, whenever something important happened. He sometimes felt like the only person who could understand what she was going through…well, minus the demons and the vamps and the all around slayage talk. It was hard to find words to describe her activities without giving her secret away, but she had managed thus far.

She thought about what she wanted to say for a long time. Finally, the words started to come and she began typing.

I know I've been promising to call ever since we moved, but there just hasn't been the time. I'm sorry. I miss you a lot, and I hope that you're doing well at that school of yours, with all your friends. Even though I've never met them, I feel like I know them, just from your descriptions. I could probably identify them all on sight, especially the pretty redhead you always talk about. As far as I am concerned, you should just go for it. Speaking as a girl myself, we don't like to be kept waiting. Get a move on, buster.

Have you ever found yourself at a point where you wonder if it is all worth it? All the struggle, the heartbreak, the sickness as you try to adapt to life's hits? I think I found myself at that point yesterday, and I've come to realize some important things. No matter how you feel about life's little jokes, in the end, it all comes down to doing what you can to make the world a better place You can blame Fate or Luck, or the Powers That Be, but ultimately it's all about accepting the cards that you are dealt. Life is so very short, and you need to seize what joy you can, when you can. Living here in Sunnydale has made me realize that, and in a way I'm glad. On the other hand, I also wish that I wasn't so aware of what goes on in the world these days. It would be so easy to just pretend that I don't care, but I do.

Scott, I really, really miss you. It's been forever since we've seen each other. We need to change that as soon as we can, if we get the chance. Maybe over the summer…anyway, I'd better go. I've got some stuff to do. I'll write when I can. I love you.

She reread what she'd written and nodded. That was as good as it was going to get. She was sure her cousin would understand. He was always so serious about things, and he'd mentioned in past letters about the unfairness of the world. She didn't want to worry him, but knowing Scott, he'd worry anyway. If she lived through this, she'd have to call, if only to hear his voice.

Sending the email off, she waited for confirmation that it had gone before logging out and powering down the computer. Standing, she smoothed the skirt of her dress, and then headed out of the lab and towards the library.

She approached and could hear the murmur of voices again. Pushing the door open silently, she listened while standing back in the shadows. Ms. Calendar was perched on the study table as Giles laid out an arsenal of weapons.

"Precisely." Giles was saying in response to something that Ms. Calendar had said.

"The part that gets me is where Buffy's the vampire Slayer. She's so little."

"Don't let that fool you. All right, I've told you enough. Did you get in touch with this Brother Luca?"

"As far as I can tell, nobody can. He's disappeared. Did send out one last global, though. A short one."

"What did it say?" Giles asked as he studied a sword and then decided to put it back.

"Isaiah 11:6, which I dutifully looked up." Ms. Calendar replied, reaching for a Bible that she had bookmarked. Giles beat her to it, however.

"'The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion, and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them.'"

Buffy blinked in surprise. _Should I be worried that he knew that so quickly?_ she wondered, impressed as ever by Giles' knowledge. Apparently so was Ms. Calendar.

"You know your text."

"Yes..." Giles replied absently. "'A little child shall lead them...'"

"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom." Ms. Calendar observed.

"Well that depends on where he's leading them to." Giles pointed out, as he came over with several long knives and began checking each of them. "Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into Hell.'"

"So Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid."

"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be," Giles agreed.

"Well then we need to warn her," Ms. Calendar pointed out. Buffy smiled at that. At least Ms. Calendar was on her side and was obviously trying to help, and wanted her kept in the loop.

"I don't intend on involving her at all," Giles replied, making Buffy focus back on the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

Giles put his weapons down and leaned on the table, staring directly at the computer teacher. "Buffy's not going to face the Master. I am."

That was it. Buffy had to put a stop to this. She stepped forward, making no effort to hide her presence. "No you're not."

Both of the adults looked over at her as she approached them, her shoes clicking on the tile floor as she approached. She put her hands on her hips as she faced Giles. "So I'm looking for a kid, huh? And he'll lead me to the Master?"

Giles faced her sternly. "Buffy, I'm not going to send you out there to die. Now you were right. I-I've waded about in these old books so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like. I-It's time I found out."

"You're still not going up against the Master," Buffy said, matching him stare for stare.

"I've made up my mind," Giles said, although now he sounded a bit petulant.

"So have I," Buffy said, not backing down.

"I made up mine first! I'm older and wiser than you, and just…just once do what you're told! All right?"

Buffy wanted to smile. She couldn't believe that they were standing here having this argument. She could see the fear in Giles' eyes. It was fear for himself, but mostly fear for her. Now that she thought about it, every time she'd seen him the day before, he'd had the same fear in his eyes when he looked at her. "That's not how it goes. _I'm_ the Slayer." And for the first time since she'd been Called, she really believed it.

"I don't care what the books say. I defy prophecy and I am going," Giles said, resolutely. "There's nothing you can say to change my mind."

"I know."

Giles blinked; startled that she'd given in so easily. He started to reach for a knife, as Buffy started to turn away, but before he touched it, Buffy spun and threw a solid punch that impacted him squarely across the jaw. He stood slack-jawed for the barest instant, before collapsing to the floor, his glasses flying off. Ms. Calendar hopped off the table and hurried to him, gathering his head into her lap.

Buffy spotted Angel's cross lying on the table and picked it up, fastening it back into place around her neck. The weight of the silver felt good, something familiar and comforting. Something of Angel's that she could carry into the fight with her, and a symbol of who she was. She glanced down at Giles and Ms. Calendar. "When he wakes up, tell him…I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it."

"You fight the Master, and you'll die," Ms. Calendar said, meeting Buffy's eyes with her own exotic, dark ones.

"Maybe," Buffy replied, picking up the crossbow and checking the bolts. "Maybe I'll take him with me."

With that, she left. Now that she'd made the decision, she was calm. This was just another fight, after all. And wasn't she the Slayer? Even if she failed to kill the Master, another girl would come along, and would make the attempt. Plus, Angel, Giles, and her friends…they were still there, and she knew they'd carry on the fight if she couldn't.

As she exited the school, brandishing her crossbow, her skirt swishing around her legs, she heard a small voice. "Help me." Turning in the direction of the voice, she saw a child, no more than nine years old. His eyes were wide as he looked at her.

She walked up to him and studied him for a moment. "It's okay. I know who you are."

The little boy reached out his hand and she took it, falling into step with him as he led her towards her fate. The Master was waiting.


	4. A Cousin's Concern

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry about how late this post is! I promise that I am not neglecting this story. I am almost finished with the writing of it, actually, although we still have a long way to go before this one is finished. I was on vacation last week and was not able to access a computer that had a fast enough Internet speed to allow me to post. Starting today, however, posts will resume on their regularly scheduled times: Monday and Thursday evenings. Keep the reviews and the feedback coming and I'll continue to oblige you by posting more!**

**Chapter Four: **_**A Cousin's Concern**_

_Westchester, New York, Xavier's School for Gifted Students –3:00 am_

The muted roar of the Blackbird's powerful engines ebbed to a hum as it settled quietly in its hanger bay before the engines cut off. The hanger doors slid closed and there was a moment's stillness, before the ramp lowered and the small group of people burst out of the plane, anxiety and worry lacing all their actions as they left the hanger, heading for the medical bay.

Scott Summers was weary. But for the moment he pushed his exhaustion aside as he half carried, half supported Logan down the hallway, feeling the man's blood flowing over his hands, even through the gloves that he wore as part of his uniform. Logan had taken a serious beating that night and his body was showing it, in the paleness of his features and the ugly claw marks and stab wounds that lacerated his body.

With a grunt of effort, Scott heaved the older man up on the bed as Jean quickly began to gather supplies and monitoring equipment. "Jean?"

"Help Ororo and Rogue, if you would, please, Scott," she replied, knowing his question before he could answer it. "I have to get Logan stabilized, or even with his healing ability he may not make it."

Scott nodded and walked over to his team-mate and the newest student at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Both of them looked just as tired as he felt, and Ororo had several nasty bruises beginning to form on her face from her fight with Toad. He winced as he took in the bruises on his friend's face before turning to Rogue, who had drawn herself up tightly, trying to avoid touching anyone since she didn't have her gloves on.

"Are you two okay?" he asked gently, as he reached for some disinfectant and bandages.

Ororo nodded and winced. "Bruised and a little sore, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Let Jean take a look at you just in case when she's finished with Logan," Scott told her and she nodded.

"Rogue, are you okay?" Scott asked, turning his attention to the young woman.

"Is Logan gonna be ahright?" she asked, her voice strained and deepening her already strong Southern accent.

"He'll be fine, Rogue. He's tough," Scott reassured her. In truth, it would probably be a few hours before they knew for sure. Logan's healing ability had kept him alive during two punishing fights with Mystique and Sabretooth, not to mention when he had stabbed himself in order to break free of Magneto's trap. Giving his healing ability to Rogue, allowing her to absorb his power had reopened his half-healed wounds, and some of them were severe. If his powers could kick in soon enough, he wouldn't be at risk.

Of all of them, he was least worried about Rogue's physical condition. By using her own power to borrow Logan's healing ability, she had healed very quickly from what Magneto did. Right now he was more concerned about her emotional stability. She'd been through a horrible ordeal, and the only outward sign of it was the streak of white now running through her hair.

Ororo looked up at Scott, her eyes compassionate, telling him with a glance that she'd take care of Rogue. Her eyes flickered over to the side, to a door to Scott's right. Scott followed her gaze for a moment and then, finally, nodded.

Ororo pulled herself to her feet and gently guided Rogue out of Jean's way. They all needed to get cleaned up, and that would give Jean time to get Logan patched up until his healing ability strengthened enough to do its work.

Scott approached Jean quietly and touched her shoulder, before pointing to the door Ororo had been looking at. Jean smiled at him and nodded, before returning to wrapping the worst of Logan's wounds tightly.

Scott crossed the room and paused outside the door for a moment, before entering slowly, his face saddening as he took in the sight in front of him.

Professor Xavier lay quietly on the table in the room, hooked up to several computers that were monitoring his heart rate and brain waves. In an effort to keep Scott and the others from stopping them, Magneto had sent Mystique into the facility with a toxin designed to incapacitate Scott's mentor. When added to Cerebro, Xavier's mutant detection and telepathic amplifier device, the machine had been disabled and had knocked the Professor out when he tried to use it. Jean was confident that the Professor was still in there and that when he was ready he would find his way back to them.

"Hey, Professor," Scott began quietly as he approached his mentor's side. Xavier had been kind enough to take Scott in when his mutant powers manifested, expecting nothing in return from the younger man, and asking only that Scott consider leading the X-Men to help Xavier see his dream of humans and mutants united.

"We did it. Rogue is safe, Magneto has been arrested, and the world leaders are safe. Unfortunately, Magneto's thwarted attempt will probably have worse repercussions for mutants in the next few days. It wouldn't surprise me if the Mutant Registration Act becomes even more of a priority for most of the Senators, not to mention what other world leaders will do," Scott said, talking as if the Professor could hear him.

"I might have been wrong about Logan," Scott finally admitted. "Without him, I don't know if we could have stopped Magneto. He took out Mystique and Sabretooth on his own, and destroyed Magneto's machine. All of us helped, but he was the only one who could have broken free of Magneto's trap without anyone else getting hurt."

He was silent for a long time, waiting and hoping that the Professor would wake up, but he didn't. After a while, Jean entered with Logan floating in front of her, and as she entered, a bed to the right rose up from the floor and Jean used her telekinetic powers to lower Logan to the bed. Scott winced at all the bandages that covered Logan's body. He had fought and fought hard for them…_for Rogue_, Scott amended. Helping the rest of them was a means to an end.

"Scott, you need to go and get cleaned up and get some rest," Jean said softly. "Ororo and Rogue have gotten cleaned up, but I think Rogue is going to need some counseling over the next few days."

He smiled wearily at her. She was right, and he knew it. "What about you?"

Jean smiled and touched his shoulder. "I'll be up soon. I want to make sure the Professor is comfortable and set the security grid before I come up. Go, get changed and I'll join you soon."

Nodding, he kissed her lightly on the cheek and headed out of the medical bay. He stopped long enough to shower and change from his uniform and into some sweats. The students generally knew that their teachers were up to something, but no need to advertise it in front of them.

It had been a crazy couple of days as he and his team struggled to stop Magneto from killing all of the world leaders at the opening ceremony of the conference that had been held at Ellis Island. Between dealing with Rogue and Logan, the Professor's injury after Magneto had had Cerebro sabotaged, and the fight itself, Scott was beat. The rest of Magneto's Brotherhood had scattered, but Scott knew sooner or later they'd come crawling back, trying to find a way to free their leader and continue their attempt to conquer mankind. He shook his head, resigned to that fact, but not entirely pleased about it.

As he waited for Jean, Scott decided to check his email. He knew he'd probably have a huge backlog of spam and junk mail, but he would just weed through it as always. Logging into the system, he starting sorting through his inbox, discarding some messages instantly, and taking the time to open and read others. He was almost finished when Jean entered the room.

"Are you coming to bed, Scott?" she asked as she gathered up her things and headed towards the attached bathroom. Scott twisted in his seat to look at her through his tinted glasses.

"As soon as I finish here. I only have one more to read." Turning back to the screen, he clicked on the email to open it. The address, seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it for some reason. He started reading; reaching for a glass of water he'd been sipping from since he started checking his email.

Almost instantly he recognized the style of writing as belonging to his younger cousin, Buffy. He chuckled at her comment about speeding up his relationship with Jean. Buffy was so not in the loop on this one. He and Jean had been together for a long time, and he was already making plans to make their relationship more permanent, he just needed to find the right time.

Suddenly the tone of the letter changed. It was much more serious than usual, especially coming from his slightly air-headed cheerleader of a cousin. He loved her dearly, but he was much more likely to go off on these serious and pondering ramblings. Granted, the divorce that Buffy and his Aunt Joyce had been through recently had matured Buffy some, but in all of her last notes, she had still seemed to be the bubbly, popular girl that he remembered from his last visit to L.A.

Jean came out of the bathroom and came to stand next to him, running her hands gently through his hair as she read over his shoulder. "From your cousin?" she asked.

"Yeah." Scott replied.

"What's wrong? Something's got you worried. Usually hearing from her makes you so happy." Jean observed. Being a telepath had some advantages. Jean almost always knew what Scott was thinking, although she rarely read his mind just to find out. Instead she could just sense when something was bothering him.

"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. Buffy is normally so happy, so bubbly when she writes to me. This is different. The whole letter is serious, and it's short. For all that Buffy hates to write, she always practically sends me a novel. But this…" he scrolled back up so Jean could read the whole letter.

The redhead's eyes skimmed down the screen quickly, silent as she processed the letter. Scott had let her read some of Buffy's letters before and she immediately saw the difference as well. "I think you're right Scott. There's something…I don't know...something off, I guess. It's not even the tone of the letter; it's her word choice too."

Scott nodded. "That's what I thought. It's almost like she's…saying good-bye."

Jean frowned at him. "Suicidal?"

Scott paled at that thought. "No! No way. Buffy is way too carefree to think about something like that! She loves her mom, and she loves me. She knows it would destroy us if she did that. Plus, it would hurt all her friends." He looked back at the letter. "But then again, '…if we get the chance.' Maybe…maybe she really is thinking something like that. Maybe the divorce hurt her more than she's said."

"She wouldn't be the first child to be affected so badly by a divorce." Jean pointed out.

"I need to talk to her." Scott said, standing abruptly and reaching for the bedside phone and his address book, trying to find Buffy's new phone number. Jean stopped him.

"Scott, it's after midnight there. She's probably asleep." Jean thought for a moment. "She obviously misses you. Why don't you go out and visit her? You've earned some time off, especially after tonight's fiasco."

"Huh? But what about the students...Professor X?"

"Professor X will be fine. I had the computers analyze the toxin while we were gone. It was meant to incapacitate, not kill. No matter how much they disagree, Magneto would never authorize any of his Brotherhood to kill Professor Xavier. He's strong, and in good health," Jean said firmly. "You only have your aunt and your cousin left in your family. You need to be with them."

"I'm not sure, Jean," Scott said, looking at the phone in his hand. He desperately wanted to call his cousin, reassure himself that she was all right. He needed to hear Buffy's voice.

"I am," Jean said firmly.

Scott sighed and replaced the phone on its base. "All right. When Professor X wakes up, I'll talk to him about going to visit them."

"Good." She smiled. "Besides, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Buffy is probably just blowing off some steam. Didn't she mention in her last letter that some of her classmates had been killed in some gang-related incident? She was probably thinking about that and realized how important it is to do something that matters. I'm sure she's fine. Surprise her by visiting her and I'm sure that she'll be back to her normal, bubbly self in no time."

"You're probably right. I'm just over-reacting because I'm tired." He logged out of his email and stood, stretching the kinks out of his back, before pulling Jean towards him and backing towards the bed. "Now, come to bed, Jean. We both need some sleep."

Even as he fell asleep, his girl snuggled closely in his arms, Scott couldn't seem to get his thoughts off his beloved cousin, hoping that Jean was right and that Buffy really was fine. For some reason, despite his hope, something just didn't feel right about this, and he had a sinking feeling that he was going to be too late.


	5. Fated Confrontation

**Author's Note: Hey folks! Because of the fabulous reviews that I received today, and because I unfortunately deprived you of two updates while I was away on vacation last week, I decided to be really nice and give you a bonus chapter! But, even better, I've also gone back and done some revising to chapters two and three, so please read those before reading this chapter! The next update will be Thursday evening, and in the meantime, keep those reviews coming and there may be more bonus updates in the future!**

Chapter Five: _**Fated Confrontation**_

Willow stood anxiously ringing her hands as Xander paced back and forth and Giles nursed his jaw with an ice pack Ms. Calendar had brought him after he regained consciousness. She couldn't believe she hadn't picked up on Buffy's distress! Some friend she was, wallowing in her own feelings when her normally bubbly and happy friend was sitting in her own silent misery.

"I told you there was something going on with her." Willow said, unnecessarily, to Xander. It had taken a supreme effort on her part to get him to actually come with her to the library when she realized how upset Buffy had been, and only her sense that Buffy was in danger could get him moving.

"And she knew about this prophecy thing of yours?" Xander asked, receiving a nod from Giles, which made him wince slightly as he pressed too hard on the tender area of his jaw. "Aw, man what do we do now?"

"We stay calm, first thing." Giles replied, his voice muffled by the ice pack.

"Calm?!" Xander's voice was rising in pitch and it appeared as though he wanted to follow up on Buffy's punch with one of his own.

"I think he's right." Willow piped up, trying to defuse the situation before Xander did something rash.

Xander took a deep breath, but his anxiety was still obvious. "I'm sorry. Calm may work for Locutus of the Borg here, but I'm freaked out and I intend to stay that way!"

"Xander…" Willow tried to run intervention again for Giles, knowing Xander and his temper when he was truly upset. Xander was paying absolutely no attention to her, however, as he continued to run roughshod over Giles. Willow had to admit that he had a point there. Why hadn't Giles told any of them about this? They could have tried to find a way to help Buffy.

"How could you just let her go?" Xander demanded.

"As the soon-to-be-purple area of my jaw will attest, I did not **let** her go!"

"Well, how can we help her?" Willow asked, trying to bring the argument to an end. Ms. Calendar seemed to be having the same thought and piped up as well, although her concern was slightly different.

"Um, I'm sorry to bring this up, but we also have an apocalypse to worry about?"

"Do you mind?" Xander asked, rudely.

"How come _she's_ in the club?" Willow asked Giles, not exactly liking the fact that Ms. Calendar was there. Sure, she'd helped Giles with the Internet demon, but did that automatically get her full access to their group?

"Hey! Once the Master gets free, the Hellmouth opens, the demons come to party, and **everybody** dies." Ms. Calendar pointed out.

"Uh-uh, I don't care. I'm sorry, but I don't. Right now, I gotta help Buffy." Xander said stubbornly.

"We don't even know where she's gone." Giles pointed out logically.

"I can find out." Xander said as he headed out the door.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._ Water fell from the ceiling as Buffy and the Anointed One picked their way over the rough ground in the sewers as they headed for the Master's lair. Buffy kept her grip loose on her crossbow, in case any other vamps showed up, but it appeared as if the Master had ordered his minions away for the night. Buffy wasn't surprised. This was a confrontation that had been coming all year, and there was no way that the Master would allow anyone to interfere with it.

Her thoughts drifted to her friends and family. Whatever happened, at least they had each other. If she didn't survive tonight, she knew that Joyce would inform Scott, and Scott would take care of her. She wished that he knew the truth about who she was though. It would have been so much easier to have someone who was family that she could confide in, and somehow she knew that Scott would be supportive of it. Sure, he worried, but he had always worried, and once he accepted it, he'd support her. He knew how important it was to make a difference in the world.

And she knew whatever happened tonight, her friends would avenge her. They'd find some way to take down the Master, either with the help of the new Slayer, or on their own.

What about Angel, though? She did care for him, although Xander seemed to think he was just a crush because he was hot. Yeah, he was a vampire, but he was different. Maybe it was his soul, or maybe she was just seeing something that no one else was seeing. She'd lashed out at him pretty badly last night…she probably should have found some way to apologize to him, too. First thing she'd do, once she survived this. Oh, and she'd apologize to Giles, for getting so mad, and for hitting him.

Buffy's enhanced senses were telling her that they were getting close. They had to be near the school, which was where Angel had once told her she would find the vampires. The confrontation was getting closer. Taking a deep breath, she tried to mentally prepare herself, to force her fears and her worries for her family to the back of her mind. Any distraction in this fight would mean her death, and she had every intention of living through this. She tried to focus on the centering techniques that Giles had tried to teach her, as she prepared for a fight that according to prophecy would end in her death.

Xander hurried down a flight of stairs to a door just at the bottom. He pounded on the door, hoping that the apartment's resident was in that night. Given the description of the argument that Buffy and Giles had had the night before, it was likely that he would be here. Xander gripped the object in his pocket reassuringly. It was his leverage, and the only way he'd be able to help Buffy.

There was a moment of silence, before the door opened and Xander found himself staring at Angel's dark eyes. The vampire seemed surprised to see his visitor. Xander supposed that a vampire didn't get much company. Angel only blinked for a moment, before he finally processed what he was seeing. "Well, look who's here."

The snide tone didn't do anything to improve Xander's disposition as he shoved his way past the vampire. "Mind if I come in?" As Angel closed the door behind him, Xander took a moment to assess the small apartment, only to see that it was much different from what he had expected. But he didn't let that faze him.

"Everybody's visiting lately. I really should clean the place up," Angel said as the door clicked shut.

Xander didn't have time for pleasantries. "She's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"Buffy. She's gone to fight the Master."

Angel turned, his face in shadow, but Xander could still see his worry and despair, and for a moment it made him wonder just what Angel felt for Buffy, if anything. Was it even possible for a vampire to feel for a human? Buffy swore that it was, that it was Angel's soul that made him different, but Xander just wasn't sure. "He'll kill her."

"Rumor has it. Only we're not going to let that happen."

Angel looked skeptical. "Well, what do you propose we do about it?"

Xander licked his lips. His whole plan depended on Angel. "Look, I know you can find the Master. He's underground, right? Take me to him."

Angel smiled sardonically. "You're way out of your league, kid. The Master'll kill you before you even breathe." For a moment, in the shadow, Angel's face looked faintly sinister. As an afterthought, he added, "If you're lucky."

Xander nodded. About the reaction he had expected. Time for plan B. "How can I say this clearly?" Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he held up a cross that he had been in the habit of carrying since he met Buffy and learned about all of the critters that go bump in the night.

Angel snarled, but Xander advanced on him, forcing the vampire back until Angel fell back onto a low couch. "I don't like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire." He lowered the cross slightly, so he could look into Angel's dark eyes. "But Buffy, man, she's got a big ol' yen for you. She thinks you're a real person. Right now, I need you to prove her right."

"You're in love with her."

_No duh_, Xander thought. But instead of saying that and annoying the vampire when he needed Angel's help, he responded with a question of his own. "Aren't you?"

The Anointed One paused at the mouth of a down-sloping tunnel. Buffy glanced at him curiously. The Anointed One pointed, then turned and began to head back up the way that they had come. Buffy swallowed nervously, closed her eyes and took one last deep breath to center herself, then began to climb down the tunnel carefully. When she hit the dirt, she eased down the faint path that the Master's minions had worn in the slope.

Looking around, she found herself in what appeared to be the ruins of a church. Candles were lit everywhere, the only illumination in the hollowed out cavern that had devoured the church. Despite the many candles, a great many areas were still buried in heavy shadow.

"Welcome."

The voice was eerie and seemed to come from everywhere at once. It sounded pleased and surprised that she had actually come. There was also a note of anticipation in the voice. Buffy forced herself to respond calmly, still studying the layout of the room as much as she could in the dim light. "Thanks for having me."

A shadow stepped forward out of the darker shadows. Buffy noted the movement out of the corner of her eye, but pretended that she had not, hoping to catch the Master by surprise. She continued to look around the room, seeming to pay particular attention to the pools of water that had formed along the floor. "Y'know, you really oughta talk to your contractor. Looks like you've got some water damage." Despite her best efforts to keep her voice even and light as she played with one of her famous quips, she couldn't help but note that her voice trembled slightly. As she pretended to scrutinize the room, she made certain that the bolt on her crossbow was ready to be fired.

"Oh, good. The feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the…"

Buffy whirled in the direction of the Master, aimed and fired the bolt in a split second. The bolt sailed through the air, perfectly aimed at his heart. She watched it go, hoping that her action had caught him by surprise.

Though his sentence was interrupted, the Master reached up and snagged the bolt out of mid-air, inches before it would have impacted with his heart. Buffy cursed to herself and quickly began to reload her crossbow. "Nice shot." The Master sneered at her as he broke the bolt in half with a quick motion. "You're not going to kill me with that thing."

"Don't be so sure." Buffy retorted as she raised the loaded crossbow in preparation to fire again. However, while she'd been concentrating on her crossbow, the Master had vanished.

She spun slowly in a circle, listening for any clues as to his whereabouts, as his voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."

Buffy edged forward, keeping her grip on her crossbow, and her finger on the trigger. Even as she hunted, she felt a small surge of fear. She had hoped to end the fight quickly, to prevent the prophecy from coming true. Now it looked like this was going to take a little longer than she'd hoped. Swallowing back her fear, she eased into Slayer-mode. All her attention was on the hunt.

Xander and Angel ran through the sewers. As they came to an intersection, Angel paused, looking one way, then the other as he tried to get his bearings. Xander paused, waiting for Angel to make up his mind.

Angel seemed to sniff the air, and then nodded to himself as he moved off to the left, passing Xander and glancing sideways at him. "This way." He paused again as he caught the dirty look Xander sent his way. "What?"

"You were looking at my neck." Xander said quietly as he started walking again.

"What?"

"You were checking out my neck! I saw that!" Xander repeated.

"No, I wasn't!"

"Just keep your distance pal."

"I wasn't looking at your neck!"

"I told you to eat before we left." Xander grumbled as he followed Angel down the passageway, using the banter to distract himself from his growing fear for Buffy's safety. Who knew how long she'd been down here, facing the Master? What if they were already too late?


	6. A Prophecy Fulfilled

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! You are all very, very lucky tonight! This is an absolutely _huge_ chapter! Originally I had planned for this chapter to be split into three smaller chapters, but looking back over it, I realized I didn't like the way it flowed when it was split up, and I wanted to get through the actual episode parts so we could get to the original stuff, so I combined all three chapters into this monstrosity. I hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

Oh, and there is one scene that I couldn't resist putting in. You guys should know it when you see it, since part of it was cut out of the episode. It may make Angel seem like an idiot and Xander kind of asinine, but I couldn't resist, and I wish that Joss had put it into the episode. This is not a reflection of my feelings about Angel and Xander, I like both characters very much, but we don't often get to see Xander get one over on Angel, so I decided to go with it.

Chapter Six: _A Prophecy Fulfilled_

"You know, for someone who's all-powerful, you sure do like to hide a lot." Buffy complained as she continued to search the Master's lair, passing several rotting corpses. She eased around a corner, crossbow first. Her nerves were jangling at the sinister presence of the Master. She couldn't pinpoint the feeling, but he was here.

"I want this moment to last."

"Yeah, well I don't." Buffy muttered to herself, wishing that she'd stuck to her guns and not come down here.

She eased around a pillar, and past several broken pews. Her nerves suddenly shrilled a high alert as the Master spoke, his voice coming from directly behind her. "I understand."

Buffy whirled, desperate to keep him from biting her. She tried to fire her crossbow at point-blank range, but the Master was too fast as his clawed hand batted it away from her to clatter on the ground. Buffy threw a punch, which the Master blocked, but it gave Buffy an opportunity to turn and try to run. If she could get past the barrier that kept the Master prisoner here, she'd be safe.

She was several paces away when something powerful grabbed her and pulled her to a stop, forcing her to turn around. Her eyes wide with fear, she saw the Master's clawed hand held out to her in a clutching motion. He moved toward her, his movements graceful, like a tiger stalking it's prey and moving in for the kill. Easing behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and slipped her leather jacket off to drop it in the dirt.

Buffy could feel her heart pounding, but all she was aware of was the Master as he leaned in close to her, his mouth less than an inch from her ear. _No, please…God, please no!_ Her breath came fast and hard as she struggled to contain her fear.

"You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything." His voice softened to a whisper, a whisper full of delight and hunger. "You're the one that sets me free!" He licked his lips and continued. "If you hadn't come, I couldn't go." He chuckled quietly under his breath. "Think about that!"

_Oh God, no…please, dear God no! Please, please, please…_ Buffy's mind screamed, although she couldn't seem to make her vocal cords work. Then, pain! Pain unlike any she'd ever known as the Master's fangs sank into her neck, where her shoulder joined her neck. _No, no, nononononononono!_

The Master's gulps filled her ears as he drank from her, and with each gulp, she could feel her strength literally draining from her. Her thoughts were completely incoherent as she was lost in a world where the sound of the Master's gulps and her fading strength were all she knew.

Suddenly, it was over, and the Master's clawed hands came off her shoulders. "Oh god! The power!!!" Buffy swayed on her feet for a moment before crashing to her knees. Her mind was in a fog, all she could comprehend was the shock of what had just happened and the shock of her lost power. Dimly, as though from a far off distance, she heard the Master's voice again. "And by the way, I like your dress." The last thing she was aware of was the sensation of falling forward, and then feeling something wet on her face, before her world went dark.

* * *

Angel pulled up to a stop rapidly as he spotted brilliant white light pouring out of the side tunnel that was just ahead of he and Xander. Xander almost bumped into him, but caught himself in time. "What was that?"

Fear shrilled through Angel's body as he sensed the powerful magic in the air. Being a vampire did have some benefits, like being able to sense magic at work. "It's too late. He's gone up!" Breaking into a sprint, he ducked into the adjoining tunnel and followed the faint traces of magic that still lingered in the air. He could hear Xander right behind him, but he couldn't wait for the young man. His own balance and agility were enough to enable him to get over the rough and broken ground with ease, while Xander was left stumbling behind him.

He emerged into the remains of a sunken church, lit with hundreds of candles. He glanced around the room once, making sure that none of the Master's minions were in hiding, before his eyes fell on a petite, silent figure floating face-down in a shallow pool of water. Leaping down the dirt path to the lower level, Angel sprinted over to the pool, splashing in and pulling Buffy out of the water.

His finger brushed against her cross, but the burning sensation barely registered in his mind as he rolled her onto her back, his hand seizing her wrist as he searched for a pulse. He heard Xander come out of the tunnels and glanced up to see the young man staring at Buffy's limp, bedraggled form. Leaning close, he listened for the sound of breath, anything to indicate that they weren't too late, but his keen hearing told him the truth.

He looked back up at Xander, sorrow and regret washing over him. "She's dead."

Xander stared at him open-mouthed, and for a long moment there was silence between them. Then Xander scrambled down to join Angel. "No. She's not dead."

"She's not breathing." Angel pointed out.

"But if she drowned, uh, there's a shot!" Angel looked at him, confused. "CPR!"

Angel realized where he was going with this and reluctantly, he released Buffy to lay her flat on the ground. In this, only Xander could prevail, and he knew it. "You'll have to do it. I have no breath."

Xander shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over Buffy's chest. He looked at her a moment, then tipped her head back and lowered his mouth to hers. Once, twice, three times he blew air into her lungs, and then he sat up and began the chest compressions, all of his attention focused on Buffy, who he'd loved since the first moment he saw her walking into Sunnydale High. He switched back to breathing into her mouth, praying desperately for a reaction. One, two, three…one, two three, four, five. "C'mon, Buff. C'mon!"

Angel watched sadly, knowing that it was too late. They had been too slow in getting here. And Angel knew that it was his fault. His strength and reflexes, combined with Buffy's slayer powers, would have been enough to defeat the Master, he just knew it. But it had been so long since he'd last seen the Master; he'd forgotten how to find his lair. The vampire bowed his head, silently paying homage to an amazing young woman, someone that he had learned to love. She had never treated him like a vampire, but as a person, and that was so rare for him.

"C'mon! Breathe! Breathe!" Xander panted between breaths, not giving up hope. Angel sighed. They had no idea how long she'd been in that water, they just hadn't made it in time. "C'mon!" Xander muttered again, before seeming to realize the futility of what he was doing. Straightening up, he began to pull his hands back.

Suddenly, Buffy's eyes flickered, and then snapped open as she sucked in a startled breath, staring wildly up at the two of them. Angel couldn't believe his eyes. Xander had worked the impossible.

"Buffy!" Xander whispered in shock.

Buffy's eyes focused on him, and then she choked and turned her head to the side, spitting out a mouthful of water. She coughed harshly several times. Xander looked up at Angel, and the vampire met his eyes. Both of them showed relief, before they looked back down at Buffy, who had recovered from her coughing spell and was looking at them, bewildered.

"Buffy."

"Xander?"

"Welcome back," Xander said with a relieved smile.

Buffy made a move to sit up and Xander and Angel both helped her, before she gathered her legs under her and stood. Both of them rose with her, steadying her as she swayed. "Easy. Easy," Xander murmured, grateful that she was even alive to stand up, let alone gather her strength enough to pull away from them.

"The Master?" Buffy asked, looking around the empty church, as if expecting to see him leering at her from the shadows.

"He's gone up," Angel said, reaching out to steady her, only to be brushed off as Buffy took a few steps forward, reaching up to brush a few wet hairs out of her eyes. She moved forward a few steps, but Xander caught her arm.

"No. You're still weak."

Buffy stopped, and appeared to be assessing her own strength. "No. No, I feel strong. I feel different." She glanced back at both of them, and a trace of the old Buffy, the Buffy on the hunt appeared in her resolute face. "Let's go."

* * *

It took them a much shorter time to emerge from the sewers than it had to pick their way through them in order to find the Master's lair. Buffy marched determinedly forward, Angel and Xander hurrying to keep up with her. She seemed to be guided by some unknown force, something that led her unerringly toward her goal. Her shoes sounded firmly on the pavement as they approached the high school again.

"So how do you know where the Master's going?" Xander gasped out as he pushed himself to keep up with Buffy's quick pace.

"I know," was the only response he received as they turned onto school grounds.

Just ahead of them, blocking the front doors, a vampire stood guard, his game face on, snarling at the sight of the three of them. Buffy voice was toneless as she quipped, "Oh, look. A bad guy."

The vampire lunged at them as they drew abreast of him, but Buffy simply reached out and shoved him with one hand and he collapsed in a heap, giving them access to the front doors. Buffy shoved the double doors open and proceeded to lead them unerringly through the school, until they rounded a corner on one of the upper floors. In front of them was a door marked "Roof" and the lock had been punched out of the doorframe, leaving it ajar.

"Okay. You two wait here; keep the rest of the vampires off of me," Buffy ordered; her mind already on the fight that waited her at the top of the building.

"Right," Xander said, holding his cross tightly as he took up a position next to Angel.

"Angel, better put on your game face," Buffy continued as she moved past them. Angel turned into the light and Xander saw that his features had already shifted to reveal the form of a vampire. Something inside him was telling him that this wasn't right, that this was evidence of what Angel really was, and that Angel was no different than the rest of the vampires in Sunnydale. He deserved to be staked, too, but Buffy had told them all, quite adamantly after the episode with Darla, that Angel was not to be staked.

"I'm ready," Angel said, and his voice had even changed, becoming more gravelly, almost like a growl as he tensed.

"One way or another, this won't take long." Buffy said as she ducked inside the door and headed up the stairs leading to the roof. All her attention was focused on this fight. The Master had gotten the better of her before, but this time she was ready for his tricks. She found the upper door open as well and pushed it open to see the Master standing next to a large skylight, looking down at something below. He clapped his hands together softly. "Yes. Come forth, my child. Come into my world."

"I don't think it's yours just yet."

The Master whirled in surprise as Buffy spoke and stared at her like he was seeing a ghost. "You're dead!"

Buffy smiled grimly. "I may be dead, but I'm still pretty." She considered his twisted appearance and then added as an afterthought. "Which is more than I can say for you."

"You were destined to die! It was written!" The Master protested feebly, still too taken aback by her appearance to do anything else.

"What can I say?" Buffy asked with a shrug. "I flunked the written."

The Master snarled and reached out at her, his hypnosis power focusing on her mind. "Come here." Buffy stepped forward slowly, her gaze locked on his, but her hearing still as sharp as ever, and it didn't prevent her from hearing the sounds of battle raging in the room below. She could hear someone screaming, and a roaring noise. She thought she could hear Willow's voice mixed into the sounds coming from the room.

As she moved within reach of the Master, his hand settled around her throat, ready to strangle her. "Did you really think you could best me here, when you couldn't below?"

Buffy cocked her head to the side, as if noticing something for the first time. "You have fruit punch mouth."

The Master looked at her blankly, not expecting that as an answer to his question. So he was taken by complete surprise when Buffy's fist swung up suddenly, catching him across the face and forcing him to let go of her.

"Save the hypnosis crap for the tourists," Buffy said, falling into a fighting stance. The Master recovered quickly, but she caught him with a powerful roundhouse kick that staggered him. He swiped out at her and she dodged, but his long nails caught her across the chest where the scoop neck of her dress showed skin, and drew three thin lines of blood. She glared at him and punched him solidly in the abdomen, but he retaliated with a punch to the face that sent her flying back against the wall behind her.

* * *

_Downstairs Hallway…_

Xander and Angel stood side by side, tense and waiting. Buffy had only been up there a few minutes, but both of them knew that the rest of the Master's Order would be coming to defend him. They both fully intended to fulfill the charge Buffy had laid on them…to watch her back while she took care of the Master.

A loud growl from the corner caught both their attentions. Angel rocked back into a fighting stance and Xander tightened his grip on his stake as two minions came tearing around the corner towards them.

Absently, Xander raised the stake he held as he tossed the cross towards Angel. His eyes were on the female vampire that was charging him and not on Angel.

Automatically, Angel reached up to grab the weapon that Xander had tossed him. His fingers touched it and began to burn painfully. "Ooh! Ow! Hot!"

Fumbling the cross and almost dropping it, he managed to send it back towards Xander, along with a reproachful glare. Xander tossed a smirk at him, which told the vampire that tossing him the cross had been intentional.

"Sorry!" Xander called, tossing him the stake instead as he caught the cross. He turned to face the vampires, who were right on top of them…literally. The female vampire jumped on Xander's back, trying to get to his neck, as the male vampire charged Angel. The older vampire just grabbed the minion and, using his momentum against him, flipped the younger vampire to the ground before staking him.

Xander managed to get the cross up in the female vamp's face and she let go of him, hissing, as Angel moved around Xander and staked her in the back.

The vampire glared at the boy. "You did that on purpose."

"Did not," Xander protested. "It was an accident."

"I'm sure," Angel growled.

Xander just shook his head and continued to watch for more minions. After a moment he turned to Angel. "It was pretty funny though."

Angel only snarled in reply.

* * *

Buffy pulled herself to her feet and charged the Master, leaping into the air as he swiped at her again and executing a flip over his head that placed her between the vampire and the skylight. Snapping out her leg, she landed a sidekick squarely in his side, which, if he'd been human, would have winded him, but he didn't even stagger as he turned and caught her around the throat again. "Where are your jibes now?"

Glancing back over her shoulder, she caught sight of the library below her. In fact, directly below her was the large, sturdy table where they did their research on their enemies. Giles was lying on the floor next to one half of the table, while the other half had been broken off and tipped over forming an evil looking spike that pointed straight up. She looked back at the Master and grinned.

"You laugh when my Hell is on earth?" The Master asked, tightening his grip around her neck.

Buffy lashed out again and caught the Master by _his_ neck this time, making him blink in surprise as she started to squeeze, lifting him off his feet. "You're that amped about Hell? Go there!" Twisting and ducking her shoulder, she executed a perfect judo toss, lifting the Master over her shoulder and dropping him through the skylight.

Her aim was true, as the Master fell and landed directly on the broken table, which pierced him through the heart. He screamed as he began to dissolve into dust, and a moment later all that was left was an old, yellowed skeleton. As he vanished, the demon that Giles, Willow, Ms. Calendar, and Cordelia had been battling vanished into the broken floor.

Buffy gasped for breath as she struggled to compose herself, before she headed back down the stairs to rejoin Angel and Xander. From the two piles of dust on the floor at their feet, they'd seen some action too. Angel touched her gently on the shoulder, and she smiled up at him before leading the way to the library.

Cordelia had been removing the barricade from the doors, since the vampires had all fled at the death of the Master, and Buffy wasn't even surprised to see her there, nor, knowing her reputation as a driver, was she surprised at seeing the car parked in the school hallway. Together they filed into the room and gathered around the Master's skeleton, still lying impaled upon the broken table.

Giles was the first one to speak. "The vampires?"

"Gone." Cordelia said quietly.

"The Master?" Angel asked.

Giles smiled. "Dead. The Hellmouth is closed. Buffy…Buffy?" he repeated when his Slayer didn't answer.

Buffy looked up from where he gaze had been fixed on the skeleton. "Oh, sorry. It's just been a really weird day." She smiled weakly.

Xander nodded. "Yeah. Buffy died and everything!"

Willow winced. "Wow. Harsh."

"I should have known that wouldn't stop you." Giles said, smiling down at Buffy, telling her without words that she was forgiven. She returned the smile, but there was still something solemn in her eyes.

Ms Calendar brushed her dark hair out of her face. "Well, what do we do now?"

Giles looked around at his sanctum, which had been violated so strongly that night. Broken glass from the skylight lay everywhere, the large table was broken; the floor was shattered from the appearance of the demon. Books were laying everywhere, some of them covered in mud and blood. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get out of this place. I don't like the library very much anymore."

Xander, with his usual cheer restored, now that he knew everyone was alright, spoke up. "Hey, I hear there's a dance at the Bronze tonight. Could be fun."

Cordelia nodded, her eyes eager. "Yeah!"

"Buffy?"

Buffy had been staring at the Master's remains again. Broken from her revere, she nodded. "Sure. We saved the world, I say we party!" She glanced down at her dress, which was showing signs of having been in the sewers, not to mention that her hair was soaked from her fall into the pool. "I mean, I got all pretty."

"And what about him?" Ms. Calendar asked, gesturing toward the Master.

Buffy looked back at the remains. "He's not going anywhere." She smiled grimly. "Loser."

The group headed for the door, chattering about the dance, as Buffy brought up the rear. Suddenly, her head was feeling very swimmy again and she could see blackness edging her vision. She blinked rapidly, but she felt very dizzy. She thought it was probably a delayed reaction from everything that had happened that night. Angel had dropped back from where he had been talking to Willow, intending to say something to Buffy, but he saw her sway and his features reflected his concern. "Buffy?"

"Angel? I…I don't feel…so…" Buffy dropped like a stone, unconscious, and only Angel's lightning reflexes stopped her from crashing to the tile floor.

"Giles!" the vampire called, concerned as he dropped to his knees, holding Buffy's head in his lap and running his hands over her face. Giles turned back at the urgency in the vampire's voice and saw his Slayer lying limply on the ground.

"Buffy!" The Watched hurried back and dropped to his knees next to his Slayer. "Buffy?"

"She's unconscious. We need to get her to a hospital." Angel said, pulling the limp form of the young woman into his arms as he stood, Giles lurched to his feet as well. The rest of the group was clustered around them again. "I don't know what injuries the Master inflicted on her before Xander and I reached her."

"Cordelia! Can you drive us to the hospital?" Giles asked.

"Of course. C'mon. Giles, I can get you, Buffy, and Angel into my car."

"I'll drive Xander and Willow," Ms. Calendar said as she rummaged in her purse for her keys.

"We should pick up Buffy's mom, too," Willow said. "She shouldn't have to get a phone call and have to drive out to the hospital while she's worrying about Buffy."

"Good idea. We'll go and get Mrs. Summers and meet the rest of you at Sunnydale General." Ms. Calendar said as Giles and Angel maneuvered Buffy into the backseat of Cordelia's car. Angel climbed in next to her, relieved to see that she was still breathing, and Giles got into the passenger swat, while Cordelia climbed into the driver's seat.

A few minutes later, Cordelia peeled backward out of the hole that she'd made when she drove the car into the school, executed a lightning quick three-point turn, and was headed toward the hospital with all the speed her sporty car could give her. Giles was hanging on for dear life, an occasional "Good Lord!" coming from his lips as he tried to focus on Angel and Buffy in the backseat.

In a very short time, too short in any of the passengers' minds, they were screeching to a stop at the emergency entrance of Sunnydale General. Giles hopped out of the car, and with Angel's help, they got Buffy out of the car as well. Several doctors ran up to them as Giles and Angel entered the building calling for help, while Cordelia drove off to find a parking spot.

Angel cradled Buffy in his arms as the doctors led them to a treatment room, where he put Buffy on the bed, brushing her hair out of her face as the doctors began to examine her. They shot several rapid-fire questions at Angel, but neither he nor Giles could answer them, since they were not Buffy's family.

"Her mother will be here soon. We sent some friends to pick her up before they came to meet us here," Giles explained as the doctors theorized about different treatments and causes for Buffy's collapse. One sharp-eyed nurse spotted the two puncture wounds on Buffy's neck and when they checked her blood pressure they found that it was dangerously low, although the wound had closed at this point, due to Buffy's Slayer healing ability.

"Why is she all wet?" One doctor asked as they brushed Buffy's bedraggled hair out of her face while checking the wound from the Master's fangs.

Angel, not knowing what else to say, replied honestly. "We were fighting with a gang at the high school. They were trying to vandalize the school. Something triggered the fire sprinklers."

"Anything else? What was she doing immediately prior to her collapse?" the doctor asked.

"She was joking around with us, and we were trying to decide if it was too late to go to the Bronze for the high school's dance tonight." Angel replied. "She seemed to think that it would be a good idea once she'd gotten cleaned up."

"All right. Please wait out in the waiting room. Have one of the other nurses notify us when her mother gets here." The doctor said, turning back to Buffy's still form. The other doctors were trying to rouse her, with no success. With nothing else to do, Angel and Giles retreated, heading to the waiting room to wait for news and the rest of the gang.

A few minutes later, the emergency room doors opened and Joyce Summers rushed in, with Willow, Xander, and Ms. Calendar right behind her. Joyce looked frazzled and worried. She spotted Giles and Angel, recognizing both of them and hurried over to them.

"What happened? Where's Buffy?"

"She's still being treated Mrs. Summers," Giles replied, pulling his calm British demeanor on to hide his own worries. "She collapsed earlier and we don't know exactly what happened. We're waiting for news from the doctor. I think they wanted to talk to you about her medical history, however. They were asking us about any allergies or previous injuries, and I don't know Buffy well enough to answer them."

Joyce nodded distractedly. "I thought she was at the dance all this time. Where was she, if she wasn't there?"

Giles scrambled to come up with an answer, but it was Angel who managed to come up with an excuse. "We were at the school. We had all decided to meet there before going to the dance, but there was another gang there that were vandalizing the school and we were trying to stop them. They destroyed quite a bit of the library before we convinced them to leave."

Joyce nodded absently as Giles led her over to the nurses' station. The nurse hurried to escort Joyce back to where the doctors were still treating Buffy as the rest of the Scooby gang sat down to wait for news about their friend. A few minutes later, Joyce returned and joined them, but all she could say was that Buffy still hadn't regained consciousness.

Two more hours passed, and finally the doctor came out of the treatment area. They all stood, waiting to hear the news. "Mrs. Summers? I'm Doctor Jameson. We've done what we could for your daughter, but we still haven't been able to wake her. We tried everything that we could think of, but she hasn't responded, and she's not showing any response to various stimuli. She appears to have slipped into a coma."

At the gasps from the assembled group and Joyce's pale face, the doctor continued. "However, there is some good news. Other than her unconsciousness, we've corrected the rest of what we could find. Her blood pressure was dangerously low when we began treating her. From what we could tell she lost a lot of blood, but we gave her a transfusion and she's stabilized. She doesn't have any broken bones, but she does have a few deep lacerations, and it looks like someone tried to strangle her at some point, given the bruises that we saw on her throat, but other wise she is in perfect health."

"Except for the coma," Angel replied bitterly.

"Yes, except for that." The doctor agreed. "However, given that she is in such good health, this condition will likely not last very long. She'll probably wake up within a few days. The blood loss, combined with the possibility that she might have bumped her head, could explain the coma. Now that we've corrected what we could, once her body and mind have finished healing, she should wake on her own." The checked his chart. "We're going to admit her until she wakes. I have a nurse cleaning her up and then we'll be moving her to room 351. You're welcome to wait up there until we bring her up." With that Doctor Jameson nodded to them and went off to attend to the rest of his responsibilities.

"I'm going to go up and wait for Buffy," Joyce said quietly, heading for the elevator.

Giles turned to the rest of the Scooby gang. "You should all go home for the night. It's been a long night, and we all need rest." He turned to Angel. "Angel, you need to get home before sunrise."

Angel looked reluctant, but nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow night." With that, the vampire nodded to the others and hurried out to reach his apartment before the California sun rose the next morning.

Ms. Calendar beckoned to Xander and Willow. "C'mon kids. I'll drop you off at your homes." Willow and Xander looked reluctant to go home, but they nodded in agreement.

"Cordelia, would you pick us up in the morning and drive us back here for visiting hours?" Xander asked.

"Sure," the self-proclaimed Queen of Sunnydale High said quietly. "I'm going home too."

Slowly, they all departed, and Giles headed up to join Joyce in Buffy's room for a while. He needed to leave soon too, and he would need to go to the school tomorrow to clean up all traces of the fight, like removing the Master's skeleton, and hiding the demonology books before filing a police report and a damage report with the school board. Thankfully, the school year was over for the summer and he would be able to have the library cleaned up and repaired over the summer.

Buffy was brought up to the room and transferred to the hospital bed a few minutes later, and Joyce and Giles sat together with her for a while, watching her steady breathing and praying that she would wake up. Finally, Giles knew that he needed to leave too, before Joyce started asking questions that he didn't have the answers for. Slipping quietly out of the room, he headed back to his flat alone, his thoughts still dwelling on his proud, brave Slayer, who had again defied prophecy and averted the apocalypse. Giles' opinion was that his Slayer was the most special of them all. There had been few other Slayers in history that had defied prophecy and were as gifted as Buffy. She'll be fine, he told himself. _Buffy is meant to do great things._


	7. Fears Confirmed

Finally, before we get to the good part, I just wanted to comment on how many of you think that I am planning to give Buffy a mutant power! You all must have one-track minds, or else the fact that this is an X-Men fic is inspiring those comments. At the moment, I am not going to reveal what is going to happen to Buffy. I do have the story mostly finished, just a few more chapters left to write (plenty of posts still to come, however, no fear!) However, my work is subject to revision, so I will gladly accept any suggestions that you would like to see, and I may revise my story to accomodate you. So give me your ideas, and we'll see what develops.

Now, on with the fic! Oh, and this is another mega-long chapter!

_Delta Airlines, Flight 1060 to Los Angeles, 12 noon, three days later…_

Scott shifted in his seat as he tried to find a more comfortable position for the rest of the flight. If they could have taken the Professor's jet, they could have been in Sunnydale by now, but a modified SR-71 Blackbird would certainly draw attention that they could not afford. Sighing, he turned back to the book that he had brought with him, only to hear the Professor chuckle next to him.

Of all the people that Scott could have asked to accompany him on this trip, Professor Xavier was the one person that he was most relieved was able to come. He had come back to them just as Jean had predicted that he would. A small smile flickered over his face as he remembered his relief when he had seen that Xavier was alright.

Scott stepped out of the elevator as the door opened with a quiet click, sliding back out of sight. He walked down the familiar halls to the medical bay, not really thinking about where he was going, as his feet took him there by the path of long familiarity.

Entering the medical bay, he stopped in his tracks. Professor Xavier was sitting up, assisted by Jean as she brought his wheelchair over to the side of the table. She positioned the chair for him and then walked to the wall and pressed a button, lowering the table closer to the floor on its hydraulic lift.

Xavier slid easily into the wheelchair once the table was at the correct height for him to do so. He looked up at Scott once he was securely seated. "Scott. Jean has been telling me all about the fight at Liberty Island and how you stopped Eric. I fully approve of the tactics and the decisions that you made."

"Thank you sir. I'm just glad that you're safe. You gave us all quite a fright," Scott replied, relief washing over him.

Xavier nodded. It wasn't often that he was incapacitated, so he knew that this had been a very nerve-wracking experience for his X-Men. "Indeed. I would not have thought that Eric would stoop so low, but after the incident in Canada and at the train station, it shouldn't surprise me."

"I think this is a valuable lesson for all of us," Jean observed. "We have defeated Magneto so many times over the years, I'm afraid that it made us complacent. We should always be on our guard and prepared for anything when dealing with him or his Brotherhood."

Scott and Xavier both nodded. Scott glanced over at Logan. "How is he doing?"

Jean sighed. "He gave a lot of his strength to Rogue, and he sustained what would have been life-threatening wounds in anyone else. His healing ability is working, but slowly. I'm sure that he'll be fine in another day or so, but he'll awaken when he awakens."

Scott nodded slowly, before turning his attention back to the Professor. "Sir, I would like to make a request, if I might." As Xavier nodded, Scott continued. "Last night I received an email from my younger cousin, Buffy. She didn't sound like herself in the email and Jean thought that I should go out and visit her. We haven't seen each other since before I came here when my powers manifested. She's gone through a rough time in the last year, with her parents getting divorced and she and her mom moving to a new town. I thought it would be nice to go out and see her again."

Xavier looked thoughtful. "Is she a mutant?" Scott shook his head no. "Does she know that you're a mutant?"

"No, sir. I don't know how she feels about mutants, we've never discussed it, but I do miss her and I think she misses me."

"I don't see a problem with it, Scott, but I don't have to remind you to be careful. With tensions as high as they are right now, being revealed as a mutant is very dangerous," Xavier replied.

As Scott nodded in agreement, Jean spoke up. "I think you should go with him, Professor." Xavier looked at her in surprise, as did Scott. Before either of them could say anything, Jean continued. "Several reasons," she ticked them off on her fingers as she spoke. "It has been some time since we were out on the West Coast looking for new students. Cerebro hasn't identified anyone, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any out there. Second, Scott, you'd have some moral support while you're visiting, especially if something goes wrong and your family discovers what you are."

They all knew what she was talking about. It was not uncommon for families to turn against those that were revealed to be mutants. They'd all seen it many times, and would see it many more. "Third, I'm not entirely happy about what Magneto did to you, Professor, and, knowing you, if you don't take a vacation, you'll work too hard, too soon and relapse. The toxin is still not fully out of your system, although it doesn't pose a physical threat any longer. However, you have been working very hard in the last few weeks and have not gotten adequate rest. In fact, as your doctor, I insist that you go to California with Scott and get some real rest. No Cerebro, minimal use of your powers, and plenty of sunshine, good food, and entertainment."

"The school term hasn't ended yet," Xavier reminded her.

Scott smiled as he remembered the speed with which Jean had acquired them a flight. Almost before they had even made it upstairs, she had logged onto the Internet and booked them two tickets to Los Angeles. Within an hour, she had arranged for a chartered flight to take them from Los Angeles to Sunnydale. The Professor had tried to protest several times, but had been overruled by Jean each time.

Thankfully, they were due to land in Los Angeles in just over an hour, and from there it was only another short flight in a private plane to Sunnydale's airport. He shifted in his seat again.

"Relax, Scott. Your fidgeting will not get us there any faster." Xavier looked completely relaxed and immersed in his own book, even as he chided the young man he'd taken in those long years ago.

"Sorry, Professor. I'm just worried about Buffy. It's been years since I've seen her, and her last email wasn't exactly reassuring to me." Scott said, laying his book down on his tray and gazing out the window at the clouds below them. "No matter what I do, I can't seem to shake the feeling that we're going to be too late to stop whatever she's planned."

"I know you're worried Scott. But from everything you've told me, Buffy is a proud, mature young woman, and she wouldn't act rashly," Xavier replied calmly.

Scott chuckled a little. "That's only developed in the last year or so, sir. Before that, my cousin was the epitome of an air-headed cheerleader, who only cared about boys, clothes, cheerleading, and leading the popular life." He fell silent for a moment. "In fact, her air-headedness used to annoy me on occasion, because it seemed as if, no matter what I told her, she just couldn't understand that there was a bigger world out there. There was a point when I wondered if she'd ever really mature, and then, just a few months after she turned fifteen, it…it was like a light bulb had snapped on in her head and she suddenly seemed to understand what I'd been trying to tell her all these years." He considered his own words. "I was so relieved that she finally seemed to understand, I guess I never really stopped to wonder what had brought that change around."

Professor Xavier placed his own book on the tray in front of him and steepled his fingers, considering Scott's words. "It could simply be that she was realizing what problems her parents were having. You did mention that her parents were divorced. A divorce can be a major life-altering event, especially to someone Buffy's age."

"You're right Professor," Scott agreed. "I think a part of me accepted that as the most likely explanation, but given her last email, now I wonder if there is something more to it than that. For the last year or so, Buffy seemed to be coping with the divorce quite well. I know she misses Uncle Hank, but overall it didn't seem to bother her. Buffy has always told me everything, which is why her last email concerned me so much."

Xavier considered that. "We all have secrets, Scott." With that, the Professor picked his book up and continued to read, leaving Scott to think about his last words. It was sound advice, and Xavier knew, without a doubt, that Scott would find a way to reconcile his worries with what he knew and loved about his cousin.

* * *

_Sunnydale General..._

Giles paced the waiting room at the hospital, trying to give Joyce some privacy. It had been a long two days since the night of the Master's attempted take-over and so far, Buffy had yet to regain consciousness. The doctors were finally starting to become a little concerned, since by all accounts there was no reason that Buffy should still be in a coma. The whole gang had been regular visitors, and thus far, despite their efforts to stay cheerful and upbeat, there had been no progress. Everyone was beginning to get discouraged, although they were all trying to hide it.

Giles had thought that there could be a mystical reason behind Buffy's ailment, and although he had scrutinized the Codex for any detail he could find, nothing had been obvious as to why this had happened. From there, he had tried searching for any type of coma-inducing spells or poisons and while several came to light, they were all complicated and took much longer to implement than the Master would have had. The most likely of the options, a poison that used belladonna as the main ingredient needed to be consumed by the intended victim for three days before it took full effect, and if Buffy had been ingesting this poison, she would have started showing signs of lethargy within twelve hours of ingesting the first dose.

So he was quickly beginning to rule out the mystical causes of a coma. There were still several possibilities, but none of them were very likely, because they were much too complicated, and generally the more complicated a plan was, the less likely it was to be right, because there were simply too many things that could go wrong.

He huffed in frustration, to hide his worry. No one could do anything for his Slayer, and they couldn't admit where they really were and what they really had been doing before Buffy collapsed. _Oh, of course doctor. Buffy is the Vampire Slayer and she was fighting a vampire determined to end her life, and in doing so defied prophecy and adverted the apocalypse._

He sighed and moved back to Buffy's room to check on her. He poked his head, somewhat shyly, into the room. "Mrs. Summers, how is she?"

Joyce shook her head wearily. "There's still no change." She locked eyes with him. "What could be causing this? I thought the doctor said she would wake up soon!"

"If I knew, believe me, I would do everything in my power to help her," he replied gently. "Visiting hours are almost over for the night. Is there anything I can do for you on my way home?"

Joyce sighed and shook her head again to clear it as she thought. "If you could stop by the house and make sure the papers and the mail have been brought in, I'd appreciate it. Our neighbors are out of town, and I didn't tell anyone else what was going on so they would take care of it." Reaching for her purse, she located a key from her ring of keys and handed it to him. "That's the spare key for the front door. If you'd bring it back tomorrow when you come in, I'd appreciate it, Mr. Giles."

"Of course," he replied as he took the key from her hand. "Take heart. From what I've seen of Buffy, she's an incredibly strong young woman with a bright spirit and a bright future. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Joyce smiled wearily at him. "I know. I'd like to thank you for everything you've done for her since we moved here. I don't think she's ever had a teacher who inspired and motivated her the way you do."

"Buffy is a very special girl. It's been a privilege to watch out for her." Giles smiled, before slipping out the door with the key to Buffy's house in his coat pocket.

The drive to Buffy's house took a little longer than usual, since his reliable old car was having some difficulties of late. When he arrived, he saw that the paper had been tossed on the front step and the mailbox had several days' worth of mail stuffed inside as well. He gathered up the papers and the mail and fumbled the key that Joyce had given him out of the pocket of his coat, with the result that he dropped it on the porch.

Sighing, he bent down and scooped it up, and unlocked the front door. Stepping inside, he placed the mail and the newspapers on the end table near the door, and then noticed the message light was blinking on the answering machine. Spotting a pad of paper and a pen, he paused to scribble down the messages and stuffed the paper in his pocket to take back to Joyce so she could return them if they were important.

He stepped out of the house and turned to lock the door. As he did, a throat cleared behind him. It was only because it wasn't sunset yet that he managed not to jump, since a vampire wouldn't announce its presence so obviously. He turned after locking the door. A young man stood behind him, tall, with brown hair and red-tinted sunglasses. "May I help you?"

* * *

_Sunnydale Regional Airport – 90 minutes previous_

"Professor Xavier? We'll be landing in just a moment," the pilot that the Professor had chartered for this short jump to Sunnydale called from the cockpit.

"Thank you," Professor Xavier called back, as he slipped his book into his briefcase. Scott took the opportunity to put his book down as well and to gather up his pullover sweater. This was California, and he had taken the sweater off once they disembarked the Delta Airlines flight that they had taken from New York, but he had not had a chance to put it back in his overnight bag at the time.

"We'll probably need to rent a car once we land, Professor. I don't know what exactly we'll be doing while we're here, and we will need to have a way to get around." Scott said, as he fastened his seatbelt for the landing.

"Of course Scott," Xavier said calmly. "You are still worrying. We'll be there soon, and you'll see that everything is going to be alright."

"That's just it, Professor. The closer we get, the more it feels like we're already too late, that whatever Buffy was planning has already happened. Is there no way that you-?"

"I'm afraid not, Scott. I don't know her, so I cannot pick her out among the population, since she is not a mutant," Xavier replied quietly, referring to his incredibly powerful telepathic abilities.

Scott sighed, "I just wish I knew for sure what she was thinking when she sent me that email. It would ease my mind to know if she was writing it as a goodbye, or if she was just expressing some anger."

As he spoke, the plane touched down on the runway and taxied out to a waiting staircase that was used for private planes. It was only a few moments before the two passengers were allowed to disembark from the plane. Getting the Professor out of the plane gave them a few moments trouble, since he could not walk out of the plane, but he was soon situated in his chair again as Scott led the way to the car rental desk.

The forms were soon filled out and it was only a matter of minutes before the Professor was settled in the passenger seat of the car, his wheelchair and the luggage in the back, and Scott behind the wheel. Xavier navigated, using the directions that Scott had gotten before they left as Scott drove them to Buffy's house on Revello Drive.

They pulled up and parked on the street behind a very beat-up old car that caused Scott to raise his eyebrows, since the last he had heard his aunt Joyce had an SUV. Scott assisted the Professor into his wheelchair and they headed up the walk and arrived at the front door just as an older man stepped out and locked the door behind him.

Scott cleared his throat and caught the man's attention. The man turned, revealing a kind, if worried face, brown hair starting to go grey, glasses, and clothes that looked like something a librarian or a college professor would wear. _Make that a very nerdy college professor_, Scott amended as he took a closer look.

_**Are you suggesting that I look like a nerd, Scott?**_ The Professor's voice resonated in Scott's head as he picked up on his protégé's thought.

_Of course not, Professor!_ Scott thought quickly, knowing his mentor would easily sense the thought. The last thing he wanted to do was to offend the Professor.

_**Relax, Scott. I'm only teasing**_, Xavier sent.

"May I help you?" the older man asked, surprisingly enough, in a cultured British accent.

"I'm looking for Joyce and Buffy Summers," Scott said, hoping that this wasn't a new boyfriend in his aunt's life. Not that he had any objections to her finding a new husband, but this guy was not exactly what he expected, not to mention that it had been less than a year since the divorce, and if this guy was already living with them…

"Ah, they're not here at the moment. May I ask your name?"

"Scott Summers."

"Summers…" the man looked startled. "I thought Buffy was an only child?"

"She is. I'm her cousin from New York," Scott replied, somewhat curtly. "Who are you?"

"Giles. Rupert Giles. I'm the librarian at Buffy's school," the man replied, somewhat flustered. "You've heard about Buffy, then?"

"What about Buffy?" Scott asked in alarm, all his fears coming crashing back on him. Only Xavier's firm grip on his forearm kept him from panicking.

Giles looked puzzled. "You don't know? I assumed that Joyce – er, Mrs. Summers called you, since you're here."

Scott opened his mouth, about to demand to know what was going on, but Xavier spoke up. "Scott, let me." Scott fell silent, and Xavier looked up at Giles. "I'm Charles Xavier, Mr. Giles. Scott is one of my students. The reason we're here is because Buffy emailed Scott a few days ago, and we decided to take a vacation so that Scott could come out and visit her. They haven't seen each other for several years, and with Buffy's school year ending, we decided now was the best time to come."

Giles shook Xavier's offered hand. "I do apologize. I thought that you had been notified. Buffy is in the hospital."

"What happened?" Scott demanded.

"A few nights ago, Buffy and her friends had decided to meet at the school library before heading to the dance that the school was holding at the local nightclub. I was there, because I was going to chaperone, along with the computer teacher, Ms. Calendar. Before we could leave for the dance, one of the local gangs broke into the school and started vandalizing the place, so we were trying to stop them. In the confusion, Buffy was injured, but we didn't realize it until after she passed out," Giles explained.

"How badly was she hurt?" Scott asked, numbness settling into his mind as he realized that he had been right, although all the pieces didn't fit with the email that Buffy had sent him. There would be time later, however, for him to get all the details from his aunt and cousin.

"She was stabbed and lost quite a bit of blood, but she's had a transfusion and is recovering. The biggest problem is she also sustained a head injury, and she's in a coma. The doctors thought she would have woken by now, but unfortunately, she hasn't."

"Which hospital is she at?" Xavier asked gently.

"Sunnydale General. Visiting hours are over, but if you would like, I can take you there and you can sit with Mrs. Summers." Giles offered.

"Thank you, we'd appreciate that." Xavier replied, gripping Scott's arm. "Scott? Are you alright? Will you be able to drive?"

Scott shook his head slightly. "Sure, Professor. We would appreciate your help, Mr. Giles." Turning, he headed down the walk, the Professor and Giles following him.

Giles looked around and realized how late it had gotten. "We must hurry. It's not safe on the streets at night."

Scott glanced at him. "In Sunnydale? This looks like such a small, quiet town, though."

"I'm sure you've heard the expression 'looks can be deceiving'? In Sunnydale, gangs rule the town after sunset and the local police are pretty much helpless to stop them," Giles said with a sigh.

It took several minutes to get Xavier's chair loaded back into the compact car that they had rented, and all the while, Giles looked around anxiously, hoping that they wouldn't be beset by vampires. The activity of the undead had been quiet for the past few days, but he was no Slayer, and he wasn't sure that he could protect them if they were attacked, and Professor Xavier would be the most vulnerable of the three of them because of his wheelchair.

Finally Scott got the Professor situated and motioned Giles to his car so they could follow him to the hospital. Giles nodded and quickly got himself situated, starting his car which groaned and sputtered before coming to life and allowing him to chug his way back towards the hospital.

* * *

"Professor? What do you think about this Rupert Giles?" Scott asked as he followed the librarian's beat-up little car as it crawled towards the hospital.

Professor Xavier steepled his fingers and sorted through his impressions of the man. "He's…different."

Scott glanced over at his mentor. "He's a mutant?"

Xavier shook his head. "No, at least, not that I can tell. But there was something that he wasn't telling us." His face was puzzled, but intrigued. "He's had some training in masking his thoughts and building a mental shield. I couldn't pick up any surface thoughts from him."

"When did you sense that he wasn't telling the full truth?" Scott asked, his jaw muscles tense at the thought that this man was lying to him about his little cousin.

"Most of the conversation, actually. He was telling the truth, but he was holding something back, especially when he spoke of how Buffy was hurt."

"Do you think that he-?" Scott was almost afraid to finish the question, but he knew that if this Giles had anything to do with his cousin being hurt, he would rip the man apart with his bare hands. Summers' stuck together, and no one messed with his cousin.

"No, Scott. He knows more than he's said, but the one thing I am certain about is that he cares about Buffy too much to hurt her."

Scott sighed. "I just wish I had acted sooner. I might have gotten here in time to prevent this from happening."

Xavier shook his head reprovingly. "Scott, you have your own responsibilities and there is nothing you could have done to stop this from happening. You mustn't carry guilt for something you could not have changed."

"I can't help it, Professor. Buffy and Aunt Joyce are the only family I really have left, with Alex…" he trailed off, not wanting to think about his younger brother at the moment.

"I know how deeply you care for them, Scott. That is a good thing. But burdening yourself with guilt will not help Buffy get well. She and your Aunt will need your support to get through this."

"You're right Professor. It's just…if anything happens to Buffy…"

"We'll both do all we can to help her, Scott. I promise."

"Thanks, Professor."

* * *

_Sunnydale General – 20 minutes later_

Giles led Buffy's cousin and his teacher through the hospital hallways, his feet following the path automatically, as they had everyday for the last three days since Buffy had been admitted. His mind was racing, wondering at the sudden appearance of Buffy's cousin at such a troubled time. Something about it seemed strange, and living on the Hellmouth, Giles had learned not to ignore what was strange.

"Giles!" a voice called as they approached Buffy's room. Giles paused and looked off to the waiting area, where Angel was seated in the darkest corner. It didn't surprise the Watcher to see the vampire. In the last few weeks Angel had proven that he was trustworthy and that he cared about Buffy. While he would still have some reservations about his Slayer being in love with a vampire, Angel had shown that he was on their side.

"Angel. Is there any change?" Giles asked, suddenly wondering if Buffy had become worse since he left. He couldn't think of any other reason why Angel would have called out to him, otherwise.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I just got here and the doctors are in with Buffy, so I haven't had a chance to see her yet." Angel said as he approached the group, his eyes darting over Giles' companions warily.

"There wasn't any change earlier, Angel. I was just bringing Scott and Professor Xavier to see Buffy." Giles replied. "Is Mrs. Summers in with her?"

"No, she went to get a cup of coffee I think."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Giles, but may I see Buffy?" Scott asked, interrupting their conversation.

"If the doctors are with her, we'll need to wait, and you probably want to wait for your aunt to get back, or they might not let you in to see her, since visiting hours are technically over," Giles said, turning to look at the younger man.

"It's alright Scott. We'll wait until your aunt gets back," Xavier soothed his protégé.

Scott huffed, but nodded as he looked between his mentor and the other two men. "I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name…?" Scott said, holding his hand out towards Angel.

Angel hesitated before clasping Scott hand, and drew back as soon as it could be considered polite. "Angel. I'm a friend of Buffy's."

"Her boyfriend?"

"Not exactly, but we're close." Angel hedged. Clearing his throat, he shoved his hands in his pockets, somewhat awkwardly. "So, how do you know Buffy?"

"I'm her cousin from New York. Scott Summers." Scott said, frowning slightly as he thought about how cold Angel's hands had been. "Cold hands."

"Huh?" Angel asked. "Oh, yeah, I guess. How'd you find out about Buffy?"

"She emailed me a few days ago and said she wanted to see me, so I decided to come out to visit her now that she's on summer break. I didn't know she was hurt until we bumped into Mr. Giles at Buffy's house." Scott stared at Angel from behind his red glasses. "So, how do you know Buffy?"

"Oh, um. We ran into each other the first week she was in Sunnydale, at the local club. A few weeks later, we bumped into each other again and since I'm studying history at the community college, she asked me to tutor her." Angel replied, falling back on the story Buffy had invented for him the night that she'd found out he was a vampire.

"I see."

Angel tried to change the subject as he turned to Xavier. "Did I hear Giles say that your name is Professor Xavier? As in Charles Xavier?"

"Indeed. You've heard of me?"

Angel nodded. "I lived in New York a few years ago. I heard a couple of things about your school. It's been a while, but if I remember right, isn't it a rather exclusive school for special children?"

"Yes. Very gifted children. I handpick them to come. Scott was one of my first students, and now he teaches there as well." Xavier replied.

"Oh, really?" Giles asked. "What do you teach, Scott?"

"Shop and English. Professor Xavier teaches Humanities and Physics." Scott replied. "There's a few other teachers, and since it's such a small school, we double up on classes-"

"Scott?" a voice called from behind the small group. Everyone turned to see Joyce emerging from the elevator, a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked even more tired than she had earlier, Giles thought, but overall she seemed to be holding up well. At the moment, however, she looked utterly shocked.

"Aunt Joyce!" Scott left the group and went over to his aunt, pulling her into a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too! It's been so long!" She smiled up at him. "I think the last time I saw you was just before your high school graduation. You've certainly grown up, although why are you wearing your sunglasses?" She reached up to remove the red-tinted lenses, but Scott flinched away from her. "Scott?"

"Please don't, Aunt Joyce. The light hurts my eyes. I've developed an oversensitivity to light, especially florescent light. The lenses filter it so I can see." Scott replied pulling back and carefully adjusting his glasses. "Is there any news on Buffy's condition?"

"The doctors were with her when I left, but there hadn't been any change at all." She led him back over to the group. "Mr. Giles. I wasn't expecting to see you again until tomorrow."

"Ah. I bumped into your nephew as I was leaving your house and told him about Buffy. I thought I'd bring him by to see you and her before I headed home. Here's your key," he handed it to her. "Oh, and I got these off your answering machine," he handed her the slip of paper with the phone messages.

"Thank you." She glanced at the messages, and then pocketed the key and the slip of paper. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met," she said to Xavier.

"Charles Xavier, Mrs. Summers. It's a pleasure to meet you. Scott has told me a great deal about you and Buffy." Xavier said, extending his hand.

"Likewise. Buffy always chatters about your letters for days, Scott." Joyce smiled tiredly at her nephew.

"Aunt Joyce, you look exhausted. Have you slept at all?"

"No, I can't bring myself to sleep while Buffy's unconscious. I'm so afraid that she won't-"

"She'll be fine, Aunt Joyce. Buffy's a fighter." Scott said vehemently. "She wouldn't give up."

"Mrs. Summers?" A doctor had approached their group, and was studying a chart. "We finished running the tests on your daughter."

"Has there been any change?" Joyce asked, squeezing Scott's hand.

"I'm afraid not. The only explanation at this point for the coma is the head injury. We're going to run some CAT scans tomorrow, and see if we can judge the severity of her head injury, although I feel I should tell you that the longer your daughter remains unconscious, the less likely it'll be that she'll wake up."

Numbness settled over all of them as the implication sank in. The doctor looked around at all of them. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over. Only family is allowed here now."

"I'm Buffy's cousin. I just heard about her injury. May I see her?" Scott asked, trying to remain calm.

"For a few minutes," the doctor answered, before heading off to finish his rounds.

"Mrs. Summers," Angel turned to her quietly. "Do you mind if I go in for a minute? I have an early class tomorrow, and I need to leave soon. I'd like to see Buffy before I go."

Joyce looked distracted. "Of course. I'll wait out here until you and Scott are finished."

Angel looked uncomfortable. "I don't want to intrude on Scott's time. I can see her tomorrow."

Scott shook his head. "It's fine, Angel."

Angel smiled thankfully at the younger man. "Thanks. I'll be quick." He and Scott headed for Buffy's room while the rest of the group continued to talk quietly. When Scott reached the door to Buffy's room, he was forced to pause in shock as he took in the sight of his favorite cousin. She was so still…it was eerie. Buffy was never quiet for more than a few minutes. Her face was pale, but he could see that she still had a great tan underneath her pallor.

Angel didn't hesitate as he walked over to Buffy's side and picked her hand up in his, kissing it gently. "Hey, Buffy. It's Angel." He hesitated a moment, aware of Scott watching his every move. "It was another beautiful day, or at least that's what I heard in the rumor mill. It was the kind of day that I think you and Willow would refer to as a 'beach day'." He hesitated again. "Buffy, please. You've got to get well soon. We all miss you, and this is driving your mom crazy. I miss you." Reaching out, he cupped her face with his hand. "Get well soon, Buffy. I need you, and you have no idea how much." His thumb stroked her cheek, and then as he started to move his hand, he hissed suddenly and pulled back sharply, shaking his hand as if it stung.

"Are you all right?" Scott asked as the other man backed off.

"Yes, just a, uh, static shock." Angel said, squeezing Buffy's hand one last time. He turned back to Scott, and in the darkness in Buffy's room, despite his red-tinted glasses Scott could tell that Angel was extremely pale. It stood out more in the darkness than it had in the brightness of the hospital waiting room. He couldn't see in color because of his glasses, everything appeared to him as shades of red, and in his eyes, Angel's skin was such a light red that it was almost white.

Angel cleared his throat and smiled at Scott again, this time gratefully. "Thanks. I'll leave you two alone now." With that, the other man was gone, so silently and swiftly that Scott was almost willing to swear that he had literally vanished. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, he approached Buffy's bed and sat in the chair that Joyce had pulled up next to the bed.

"Hey, Squirt. It's been a while, huh?" Scott paused as he again took in the stillness of Buffy's form as she lay on the bed. 'I've missed you so much, Buffy. You scared me to death with that email you sent me the other day. What were you thinking, making me worry like that? The only reason I didn't call you right after I got it was because Jean convinced me not to. Now, I kind of wish I had."

Buffy didn't answer, and she didn't wake at the sound of his voice. "Please, get well soon, Buffy. I miss you and I want to see my happy-go-lucky cousin again. This isn't natural." He bent forward, resting his forehead on the edge of the bed. "Please wake up, Buffy."


	8. Understanding Dawns

**Author's Note: Well, it's that time again folks! Update time! Before we get to the good stuff though, I would just like to address an issue that has come up in several of my reviews today. Several people have pointed out that the previous chapters have essentially been a novelization of the episode "Prophecy Girl" and have expressed dissatisfaction with that fact. In response, I would simply like to say that, if you read my author's notes on chapter one, I did mention that the first several chapters were going to deal very heavily with the episode, and that a lot of dialogue would be taken from the episode. I did this deliberately, because I was attempting to set the tone of the story by getting into the minds of the characters. I know that this style of writing does not gel with everyone, and that is fine, I won't debate the subject with anyone who may feel that way. However, I would request that, rather than simply saying that my stylistic choice in doing this weakens the story, or that you simply skimmed the last several chapters rather than reading them, be aware that I have done this deliberately. This was not an attempt to plagerize Joss's work, but an attempt to present another viewpoint. However, now that we have gotten the actual set-up and the episode out of the way, there will be all original stuff coming for the next several chapters. In warning, we will be revisiting parts of the episode again, and again, this is deliberate and is part of the key to this story. Please bear with me, and remember that this is one of the longest fics that I have attempted, as well as my first Buffy crossover. Anyway, now I'll shut up and we'll get to the story!**

_Sunnydale General Hospital – Next Day_

"Aunt Joyce, are you sure you're all right? You look exhausted." Scott asked, concerned, as his Aunt came back from getting herself a cup of coffee from the hospital cafeteria.

Joyce smiled, but it was a tired, anxious smile. "I'll be fine, Scott. Believe it or not, I look like this most of the time now."

Scott tried to return the smile. "I don't believe that. You've always been much too beautiful for me to believe this is how you normally look."

Joyce reached out and shoved his arm playfully. "You rogue. You try raising a teenage daughter single-handedly, running an art gallery, and running a household, then tell me that you're not exhausted."

Scott grinned at her, but kept his peace. He couldn't very well tell her, after all, that not only was he a teacher at an exclusive private school for mutants, but he was also the team leader of the X-Men, the mutant superhero team trying to make the world a better place for mutants and humans alike.

"I tend to agree with Scott, Mrs. Summers," Professor Xavier said kindly from where he sat in the corner of Buffy's room. "You do look very tired. I would suggest that you return to your lovely home and take a shower and get some sleep. Scott and I will be here, and we'll call you if anything changes. You can't help Buffy if you end up in a bed right beside her."

Joyce looked between the two men. "So that's the way you're going to play this, hm? You're going to tag-team me until I agree?" She looked fondly at her nephew. "I see you haven't lost your strategic edge, Scott."

Scott gave his aunt as open a look as he could manage, given that his glasses shielded his eyes from view. "I don't know what you mean, Aunt Joyce."

Joyce chuckled. "Don't give me that. You always used to be the strategist when you would play with Buffy. Why else could she never beat you at checkers, or hide and seek, or tag?"

Scott shrugged innocently. "I don't know."

Joyce sighed and stood. "Very well, I'll go home for a while and try to get some sleep. You promise to call me if she wakes up?"

"Of course, Aunt Joyce." Scott said, standing and shooing her out the door. "Now go, before you collapse and end up here yourself." He hesitated, for a moment, and then offered. "Do you want me to drive you home? I don't want to find out that you had an accident because you fell asleep at the wheel."

"I'll be fine, Scott. The coffee's given me enough energy to get home. I'd much rather you stay here with Buffy."

"I can accompany you home if you want, Mrs. Summers. I'd like to check in with my school and make sure everything is running smoothly," Xavier offered.

"No, you don't Professor," Scott said firmly. "I promised Jean and Ororo that I'd make you take a vacation from work. They've got everything under control, and Jean will be very annoyed if you stress yourself too soon."

"Too soon for what?" Joyce asked as she gathered up her purse and her coat and dug for her car keys.

"I was ill recently, and it appears that my students have all decided that I am fragile all of a sudden," Xavier replied, sending a Look at Scott.

"Sorry, Professor, but in this case, Jean is much scarier than you are," Scott teased, earning himself a chuckle from the other occupants of the room.

"All right, then, Scott. I'll be back later," Joyce said, bending down and kissing Buffy's forehead. "Wake up, sweetheart. I want to see your beautiful eyes when I get back." Straightening, she sighed and paused for a long moment, then turned and walked out the door, leaving Scott and the Professor alone in Buffy's room.

Scott waited until he was sure that his aunt was gone, and then turned to his mentor. "Professor? Do you think…is there anything you can do to find out why Buffy's still in a coma?"

Xavier placed his book in his lap and looked thoughtfully at the young girl. "Possibly, although I hesitate to use my abilities where someone could just walk in."

Scott pushed his chair closer to the door. "I'll stand guard and let you know if someone's coming."

Xavier looked between his protégé and Buffy. "That's not necessary, Scott. I would sense that someone is coming long before you would."

Scott looked puzzled. Years of getting to know the younger man (and being a telepath) made it much easier for Xavier to read the young man's facial expressions than most people could. "Then why-?"

Xavier sighed. "Using my abilities is not difficult Scott. It's just better to be wary when in a new place. You know that as well as anyone, given what the X-Men have gone through over the years." He looked at Buffy again, taking in her soft features, which looked so peaceful. "Very well. I'll see what I can do for her."

Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths and bowed his head, his face becoming very relaxed and very still as he focused his powerful telepathic abilities on the Astral Plane, seeking Buffy's mind in an effort to find out what was wrong with her.

Having seen his mentor go to the Astral Plane before, many times, Scott knew this would not be a short process, and settled back to wait and watch over Buffy, and the Professor. He knew this was not what Jean had meant by giving the Professor a rest, but if the Professor could help Buffy…if _he_ could help Buffy by asking this favor, he wasn't going to hesitate. Plus, Xavier was skilled enough and experienced enough to know when he had reached his limits.

Time passed very slowly, even though Scott tried to read his own book to help pass the time. His memories kept drifting however, back to the time when he and Buffy had been close friends, before his parents had died and Professor Xavier had taken him in. Ever since then, his life had been incredibly hectic, filled with one catastrophe after another, and hadn't left any time for him to see his favorite cousin, and barely any chances to write to her.

Keeping the secret of his mutation from her hadn't been easy, but he wasn't sure how she would react. Buffy had always been so carefree, but also very stubborn and very influenced by what others thought. If her friends thought that all mutants were bad, (which wouldn't have surprised him in the least) Buffy might very well have believed the same thing, no matter that he was her favorite cousin. He knew that it would kill him if Buffy hated him for what he was.

It wasn't like he had _asked_ to be a mutant, after all.

Before his thoughts could get much darker than they were already becoming, he heard Buffy's door open. Glancing at his watch, he hoped it wasn't his Aunt Joyce. Three hours was not going to be enough time for her to have gotten any real, quality rest. Before he could speak up from where he was seated behind the door, a girl's voice – definitely not his Aunt! – started chattering away.

"Hey, Buffy. You'll never believe what Xander did on the way over here! He actually made Cordelia laugh, and it wasn't a sarcastic laugh like she usually gives him when he speaks to her. Luckily he did after she had parked the car, or I might not be here to tell you all about it! It had to do with the Master, and what Giles could do with the-"

Scott cleared his throat, just as the girl noticed Xavier sitting his wheelchair in the corner. She whirled around in surprise, her face going bright red as the chatter stopped in an instant.

"Hello," Scott offered, standing up and offering his hand to the young girl, who looked to be about Buffy's age, although her long red hair and her pixie-like face made her look younger than she probably was. "I'm Scott."

"Oh, uh, hi, uh…" the girl stammered, taking his hand slowly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know Buffy wasn't alone, actually I didn't know she had a boyfriend other than Angel, you'd think she'd have told her best friend, but I guess that's just another one of the secrets that she's been keeping, and oh, gosh, I'm babbling again and I need to shut up and go away and let you be alone with her, well except for that guy in the wheelchair…" she trailed off, her face going even redder as she continued to babble.

Scott was completely lost at the flood of words that came out of this girl's mouth. As she trailed off, he managed to pick out a few sentences that had his eyes widening behind his glasses, although she obviously couldn't see it. "Hold on, I'm sorry. Did you say Buffy's boyfriend?"

The girl nodded shyly and looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole, and her face was so red it was a match for her brilliant hair. Scott chuckled softly, but hastened to explain himself. "I'm not Buffy's boyfriend. I'm Scott Summers, her cousin from New York."

The girl blinked in surprise. "Her cousin? I didn't know Buffy had any cousins."

Scott chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me. We've haven't actually visited each other for several years. We've been more email and phone buddies for a long time." He studied the girl, whose face was slowly returning to a normal shade. "I'd guess, given how much Buffy has told me about her friends, that you must be Willow."

The girl blushed again. "Buffy told you about me?"

Scott chuckled. "There's very little that Buffy doesn't tell me about her life."

"Then you know all about the Sunnydale nightlife and how Buffy is the Sla- erm, _slave_ to being so popular and getting all the dates?"

Scott wasn't sure what Willow was referring to, and he had caught her slip-up before saying the word slave. From the look on her face, he knew that wasn't what she had intended to say, but he wasn't going to push the point just now. There'd be time enough for that later.

"So, uh, why are you here, Scott? Did Mrs. Summers call you and tell you about Buffy?" Willow stammered, trying to recover from the slip-up.

"No, actually. I didn't even know Buffy was in the hospital until I got here," Scott replied, somewhat heavily as he sat back down. "Buffy emailed me a few nights ago and mentioned how long it had been since we had seen each other. I decided to come out and surprise her, but then I ran into Mr. Giles and he mentioned that she was hurt."

"Yeah, Giles is so cool…he's such a great guy, and I think Buffy adores him so much more than her other teachers. We all do, actually." Willow said.

Scott tipped his head to the side. "He actually lets you call him by his surname?"

Willow shrugged. "Well, we didn't at first…except for Buffy. She just started doing it, and he never objected, so we all picked it up." She glanced over at Buffy, but then her gaze fell on Xavier. "I'm sorry, but who is that? Is that Buffy's grandfather?"

Scott looked from his mentor to his cousin, suddenly getting a very strange mental image that caused him to burst out laughing. Willow looked puzzled at first, but then slowly joined in, ducking her head as she giggled nervously.

The laughter roused Professor Xavier from his trance, as he raised his head and shook it slightly, before looking sternly towards his protégé, before he realized there was someone else in the room with them. "Scott?"

"Sorry, Professor. We didn't mean to disrupt your meditation," Scott replied easily as he tried to stop chuckling, although the image of his mentor being Buffy's grandfather still made him laugh as he fought to control himself. Finally, after taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm himself. "Willow, this is Professor Charles Xavier, and no, he's not related to Buffy. He's my mentor and he came out with me for a vacation, since he's been working too hard lately. He runs the school where I teach. Professor, this is Willow, Buffy's best friend."

"Charles Xavier? The geneticist and mutant rights activist from New York?" Willow said, excitedly. "Wow! I'm so pleased to meet you, sir. I've read some of the papers that you've published, and I've been following the mutant phenomena on the news. I especially liked the paper you published with Dr. MacTaggert on gene therapy in _Scientific America_ last year."

Xavier smiled easily and chuckled, but looked slightly surprised. "Well, it's a privilege to meet you too, Willow. I must admit that I'm surprised to find someone of your age who actually enjoys reading my work and also understands it."

Willow nodded eagerly. "I totally agree with your viewpoints, sir, not only about the science behind the mutations, but also about how mutants are treated. You would think people would learn from things like the Civil War and the Holocaust about how to treat people who are different, and it's so unfair that mutants are being treated worse than African-Americans or Jews were. Mutants may be different, but there are a lot scarier things out there than a small community that happens to have special abilities."

Scott glanced at the Professor and directed a thought toward him.

The brief moment of rapport between mentor and student lasted barely long enough for Willow to suspect Xavier was doing something else. Thought traveled much faster than it took for a person to actually form words to say something out loud, so a telepathic conversation could be much longer than the exchange that Xavier and Scott had just had and to someone who wasn't aware that telepathy was real, they would never know the person they were talking to wasn't just thinking how to reply.

"I appreciate your interest, Willow, and I would enjoy talking with you about it at length, but if you'll excuse me, I'd like to speak to Scott for a few minutes while you visit with Buffy," Xavier replied with a smile.

"Really? You'd actually, really, want to sit down and discuss your theories with me?!" Willow exclaimed. "Oh, wow, that, that would be so cool!"

"Scott, may I speak to you out in the hallway while Willow visits your cousin?" Xavier asked politely, knowing how reluctant Scott was to leave Buffy, but also knowing that Scott would want to know what his telepathic probe had discovered.

"Of course, sir." Scott rose to his feet. "Willow, do you mind watching Buffy while we talk?"

"Not at all! This is so cool! Buffy's going to be mad that she missed all of this, well, ok, maybe not, since I don't know where she stands on the mutant phenomena, we've never discussed it, but, wow!" Willow began.

"Thank you Willow," Scott replied, as he opened the door and held it so that the Professor could maneuver his chair out of the room, before stepping out and allowing the door to swing most of the way shut. He stepped several paces down the hallway, but kept himself within hearing distance of the room in case something happened. "What did you discover, Professor? Is Buffy all right?"

Xavier frowned thoughtfully. "I didn't get a chance to try to enter her mind and speak to her, but I believe she is. There was no disturbance to the Astral Plane around her to make me suspect that she was in any distress, but she is definitely trapped within her own mind."

Now it was Scott's turn to frown. "But Buffy's not a telepath. I thought that it was impossible for a non-telepath to trap themselves on the Astral Plane."

"Never say the word impossible, Scott. It's rare, but it has happened before, and it is, unfortunately, most likely to happen with trauma and coma victims, and even more so if the victim has some measure of psychic gifts."

"So what do we do?" Scott asked.

* * *

Xander and Cordelia headed up towards Buffy's room after stopping in the gift shop to buy some flowers for her and in the cafeteria to get some food for Mrs. Summers. They had all stopped by everyday, but it was getting harder to be optimistic when Buffy was showing no sign of coming out of her coma.

As they approached Buffy's room, Xander noticed two men standing (well, one was standing, the other was in a wheelchair) a few feet from the door. He didn't think much of it at first, but as he approached, he distinctly heard the man in the wheelchair mention Buffy's name.

"Uh, Cordy, can you take this stuff into Buffy's room for me? I need to, um, use the john."

"Isn't that just typical? Leave me to do the dirty work." Cordelia complained loudly.

"Uh, Cordy, not the place for this. Please, just do it as a favor, for me and for Mrs. Summers?" Xander begged, all but forcing the things he was carrying into her hands.

"Fine, but I'm doing this under protest," Cordelia snapped before heading back towards Buffy's room, while Xander turned towards the men's room. He ducked inside, but hovered near the door, keeping an eye on the two men. After enough time had passed, he strolled out, heading back towards Buffy's room, but taking a more roundabout way that would allow him to pass the two men.

They didn't look like doctors, but the older one in the wheelchair could possibly pass for one, if he'd had a white lab coat and a stethoscope. The younger one…no way. He was old enough to be a doctor, but he looked more like a teacher, or something else. He was wearing a polo shirt and slacks, after all...although those red-tinted glasses were pretty cool. _Who are they, and what do they have to do with Buffy?_

"Never say the word impossible Scott," the older man was saying as Xander drew within hearing range. "It's rare, but it has happened before, and it is, unfortunately, most likely to happen with trauma and coma victims and even more so if the victim has some measure of psychic gifts."

"So what do we do?" the younger man asked, as Xander paused at a nearby vending machine and dug in his pockets for a couple of quarters.

"From what I was able to determine, it may be possible for me to bring her out of the coma, although I believe that it would be very difficult, not only because she doesn't know me and has no reason to trust me, but also because she does have some mental shields of her own." Wheelchair-guy said. "Are you certain she's never displayed any type of psychic gift?"

"Positive. She never mentioned it to me, and you'd think she'd be freaked out enough by it that she would have." Sunglasses said.

"Well, it is possible that there is an outside force at work, keeping her trapped. I've been sensing something, vaguely, on and off since we landed. I was going to see if I could pin it down more directly, since it could be another mutant-"

Sunglasses suddenly noticed Xander and made a slashing motion with his hand, sharp and direct, cutting Wheelchair-guy off mid-sentence. He shot the older man a Look, then strode over to where Xander was suddenly fascinated with studying the selections in the vending machine. He barely had time to react before the older man shoved him from behind, knocking him forward into the vending machine.

Xander whirled around as quickly as he could, given the looming presence of the other man. "Hey, what's your problem, man? I was just getting something to drink!"

"No, you were listening in on my conversation. I saw you. You were standing there way too long to be making a drink selection." Sunglasses accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just here to visit my friend." Xander protested.

"Scott, that's enough!" Wheelchair-guy said as he smoothly maneuvered his chair to the younger man's side. Laying a hand on Scott's arm, he gently, but firmly pulled Scott away, before turning back to Xander. "I apologize, young man, for my student's behavior. He's rather tense right now, since his cousin is here."

Xander rubbed his neck and offered a hand to Wheelchair-guy. "No problem. I understand. My friend is hurt too, she's in a coma."

Sunglasses, now identified as Scott, tensed at this information. "Who's your friend? Who are you, for that matter?"

"Although, since you attacked me, I technically don't have to answer that question, in the spirit of goodwill I will. My name is - "

"Xander?" A familiar British accent spoke up, just before Giles stepped up next to Xavier. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Giles, am I glad to see you!" Xander replied with relief. "It's nothing major, Sunglasses here tried to rough me up a little and now we're playing Spanish Inquisition. You speak Spanish, don't you? How do you say 'go away and leave me alone'?"

"Xander, do hush up." Giles ordered. "I apologize for any mix-up Professor. Xander is one of the students at Sunnydale High, and he's one of Buffy's best friends."

Xavier shook his head. "Nothing to worry about, Mr. Giles. I'm afraid it was a mix-up on both ends." To Xander, he added, "I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Xander. Scott is Buffy's cousin from New York, and he didn't know she was in the hospital until we got here."

Xander winced. "Gosh, man, I'm sorry. I didn't know Buffy had any cousins." He extended his hand. "That's rough, finding out that she was in the hospital after you got here."

Scott was still tense, but finally shrugged and took Xander's hand, shaking it firmly. "No harm, right?" He was still wary about what Xander might have overheard, but decided to put it aside for the time being.

"No harm, no foul." Xander replied easily. He turned to Giles. "Any news, Giles?"

Giles sent a puzzled look at him, before catching on. "Ah, no nothing of interest, other than Principal Snyder throwing a fit over the state of the library."

"Are you kidding? I would have loved to see that!" Xander exclaimed. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Xander, now is not a good time to discuss this," Giles warned.

Xander sighed. "You never let me have any fun. Well, if no one minds, I'm gonna go check on Buffy." He walked away from the group, then turned and looked at Giles. "We will discuss it later, Giles. You know I get happy when Snide-man is upset."

Once he was out of earshot, Giles turned to Xavier and Scott. "Has there been any changes?"

Both of them shook their heads, regretfully. "No, although we did get to meet both young Xander and a young lady named Willow." Xavier replied.

"Ah yes. Willow, Xander, and Buffy are nearly inseparable most of the time," Giles said with a smile.

"They seem so different," Scott observed. "Admittedly, it has been a long time since I last saw Buffy, but I would never have thought Xander or Willow would be the types that she would make friends with. She was always one of the most popular kids around, and would normally hesitate to do anything that would make her look uncool."

Giles simply shrugged. "People can change, Scott. Buffy is one of the most unique young women I've ever met, and she genuinely cares about Xander and Willow."

"I'm not disputing that, it's just…well, it's more evidence of how she's changed since her parents divorced, I guess." Scott said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Giles looked over at the two men, studying them intently. They both looked weary, and rather rumpled from spending a night in the hospital waiting room, not to mention the cross-country flight from New York. All factors considered, they both had to have a serious case of what Americans referred to as 'jet lag'. "You look exhausted, Scott. You too, Professor. If you would like to return to Buffy's house and get some rest, I'll be here until visiting hours are over, as will Buffy's friends. We will be sure to let you know of any changes."

Xavier and Scott glanced at each other, and Scott finally nodded. "I could use a shower and a change of clothes at the very least, and you are supposed to be resting, Professor. Jean will have my hide if you don't get some sleep while we're on this vacation."

Xavier scowled at his protégé. "Scott, I am perfectly fine, and perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Scott smirked. "Of course, Professor. Forgive me for fearing the wrath of my girlfriend."

"Go on, both of you," Giles said, turning towards Buffy's room. "We'll keep a close eye on her until you get back."

Finally, with a nod, Scott and Xavier headed for the door together, their heads already bent close together as they conversed quietly with each other. Scott shook his head vehemently several times, in response to something to Xavier said, but then they rounded the corner, leaving Giles standing in the waiting room.

* * *

"I still think that kid overheard our conversation, Professor."

"Even if he did, Scott, there was no reason for you to attack him the way you did," Xavier said sternly, his voice holding a hint of disappointment.

"I don't trust him, Professor. I think he knows something, and I have a feeling it will come back to haunt us later," Scott growled as he helped the Professor maneuver into the passenger seat of the rental.

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it Scott. There is nothing we can do about it at the moment."

Scott quickly folded the Professor's chair and tucked it into the trunk of the car before going around to the driver's side and climbing in. "Now, what were you saying about a mutant, Professor?"

"I've been getting a very strange, uncomfortable feeling ever since we landed, Scott. I'm not sure what it is, but it could be a powerful psychic mutant that's just coming into his or her powers, and if so, we'll need to find that person and help them," Xavier said, easily picking their conversation up from where it had been interrupted when Scott had noticed Xander listening in.

"What should we do about it, sir?"

"After I get some rest, since you seem to be so insistent that I do so, I will attempt to track the person telepathically, and see if I can pinpoint a location. If so, you and I will need to go and speak to him, or her, as the case may be," Xavier outlined the plan simply. He was usually the one to make first contact with new students, because he could defend himself quite well, but having Scott with him would be an additional boon, just in case. There were few mutants that cared to stand up directly to Cyclops, especially when he was defending someone he cared about, as he had demonstrated in the hospital.

"All right, Professor. Just let me know when you will need my help," Scott agreed. "At least there is some benefit to having met Buffy's friends. I know that they will watch over her when her mom and I can't."

"There is that, Scott."

* * *

Giles walked into Buffy's room and glanced between his Slayer and her friends. "Has she-?"

Willow shook her head. "No, not yet, Giles."

Giles sighed heavily. "I had so hoped-"

"I know, Giles. We all did." Xander said quietly from where he stood quietly in the corner of the room.

After a moment, Giles seemed to come out of his revere. "Now, what was all of that about, back there with Scott and Professor Xavier, Xander?"

"Something's going on with those guys, Giles," Xander stated firmly. "I was on my way with Cordelia to visit Buffy, and I saw them standing outside Buffy's room talking about her. At first I thought they might be doctors, but the one in the wheelchair is a little strange."

"Xander! How can you say that?" Willow exclaimed. "He's not strange at all! Don't you know who that is?"

Xander shrugged. "A creepy old guy?"

Willow reached over and firmly smacked Xander on the arm. "That was Professor Charles Xavier, Xander! He's only one of the best known geneticists and activists in New York!"

Xander looked at Willow, confused. "Wills, you do know that we're in California, right?"

"That has nothing to do with it, Alexander Harris!" Willow snapped.

Giles raised a hand, bringing the argument to a halt. "Willow, you say he's an activist? Do you know what he advocates?"

"What? You don't know, Giles? I thought for sure you would recognize him!" Willow sounded like her world was crashing down on her.

"Willow, while we're young, please!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Well, except for Giles that is."

"He's one of the foremost activists for mutant rights in America," Willow explained. "He believes that all mutants are people too, and deserve the same rights and privileges that any human is entitled to. There's a huge controversy about it in Congress right now, because the mutant abilities are so widespread and diverse. Last I heard, there were talks of a registration act that all mutants would have to abide by, where they would have to have a record of their powers on file with the federal government."

Giles frowned. "And Professor Xavier doesn't believe in this act?"

Willow shook her head. "No. He believes that if mutants are required to register, it will make them a target for hate groups and the military trying to experiment on them, and that ultimately it could lead to an all-out war between mutants and non-mutants."

Giles suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait, there was something in the news about that just a few days ago. A mutant called Magneto launched a terrorist attack on the world leaders that were gathered at Ellis Island. No one knows for sure what happened, but something caused his attack to fail, because when the authorities arrived, he was unconscious next to the destroyed remains of the Statue of Liberty's torch."

Willow nodded. "I remember. A lot of the Senators were thinking about tabling the idea of a Registration Act before it happened, but now it's back as a priority before the full Congress."

"If this guy is so important, why is he here?" Cordelia asked.

Willow shrugged. "He said he was here on a vacation with Buffy's cousin. Scott mentioned that Xavier was his mentor."

"Why does this guy care so much about mutants? I mean, it's not like he's one, right, Will?" Xander asked.

Willow looked thoughtful. "There are rumors that he might be, but there's never been any tangible evidence that he is. In all of his papers and statements to the press, he seems to simply be a humanitarian who wants peace. I did some research on him a while ago because I was thinking about doing a paper on him for class, but I ended up choosing a different topic, since the mutant controversy is still so raw."

"Well, what makes you so suspicious of him, Xander?" Giles asked pointedly.

"I distinctly heard him mention psychic gifts and ask Scott if Buffy had ever displayed or mentioned having any psychic powers, and then he said something about possibly being able to bring her out of the coma," Xander replied.

Giles and the others stared at Xander in shock, jaws dropping. "And you failed to mention this sooner, because-?"

"Uh, we were listening to Willow?" Xander replied.

"What context did he mention being able to pull her out of the coma, Xander? Did he say how?" Giles demanded.

"Nope. He just said that he might possibly be able to, and he said something about Buffy's mind being trapped on the Astro Plain."

"That's Astral Plane, Xander," Giles said absently. "And that actually makes sense. It would be similar to when Billy was trapped in his nightmares. We were seeing Billy's astral body, the part of the mind that walks when the body sleeps. From what I've read of the phenomenon, it's very unusual, but it is very easy for those with powerful psychic gifts to do."

"Could this Xavier guy be a mutant then? Maybe he's a psychic?" Cordelia asked.

"Oh! Maybe he will see great wealth in my future," Xander burst out.

Giles shook his head. "That's not the type of psychic I'm speaking of, Xander. The most commonly documented psychic gifts are telepathy, the ability of reading minds, and telekinesis, the ability to move objects with thought alone. While fortune-telling and precognition are considered psychic gifts as well, there is significantly less documentation of true Seers."

"Darn."

"It doesn't matter anyway Xander. You would only be rich and famous if they gave out an award for the biggest high school loser in history," Cordelia sniped.

"It could happen," Xander snapped back. There was a momentary pause as he thought about what Cordelia had just said, before his head whipped around and he glared at her. "Hey!" Cordelia snickered in response.

"Please, both of you," Giles snapped suddenly. "I'm trying to think."

"Ok," Cordelia said quietly.

"We'll shut up," Xander added.

The three friends sat in silence next to their unconscious friend while Giles paced the room, occasionally muttering to himself under his breath.

"Giles?" Willow ventured after several minutes. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that Scott and the Professor know more than they are telling us," he finally replied, pausing his incessant pacing. "Normally I would say we should simply ask them what they know, since Buffy's life is at stake, although in this case, I have a suspicion that it would do no good."

"So what do we do?" Xander asked. "Do we saddle up, force it out of them, Scooby-style?"

The others all turned to stare at him, and after a moment he realized how stupid that had sounded. "Never mind."

"I think we should just keep an eye on them, as much as we can, at any rate," Giles decided finally. "Someone should watch out for them anyway, since they aren't aware of the nightlife in Sunnydale."

"Oh, I can!" Willow exclaimed. "Professor Xavier already said he wanted to talk to me about his theories, since I have been following the debate."

"That will work, especially since he asked to speak to you," Giles agreed. "But we need to have a way to protect both of them as well, and without the Slayer…without Buffy…"

"She'll wake up, Giles. She has to."

* * *

_She felt…different, somehow, stronger, yet weaker all at once. There was a sense of urgency, but a sense of timelessness, like nothing mattered, yet everything mattered at the same time._

_She walked through the strange, bright place where she had been for what felt like forever. There seemed to be no exit, but if there wasn't an exit, how did she get here in the first place?_

_Where were her friends? Where was Giles? Where was Angel? "Where am I?" she wondered aloud, but received no answer, just the echo of her own voice._

* * *

_Buffy's House, That Evening…_

Scott woke slowly, to blackness. Turning his head, but not removing the sleeping goggles he always wore, he reached out for his glasses. Picking them up and keeping his eyes carefully shut, swapped the goggles for his glasses. Once they were firmly in place, he opened his eyes again, to be greeted with the unfamiliar sight of Buffy's bedroom.

Sitting up slowly, he looked around the room, smiling as he spotted childhood items that he remembered Buffy taking with her everywhere she went, before she started worrying about being the popular girl and had become so shallow. Mr. Gordo, the stuffed pig he had given her for her sixth birthday, was propped up on her bookshelf.

Sighing, he dropped his head into her hands, his heart heavy as he thought about his little cousin, lying so still and quiet in the hospital. He had to find a way to wake her up, before it was too late, and to do that, he needed to find the Professor.

He stood and rummaged in his suitcase for some clean clothes before heading for the bathroom and a hot, long overdue shower.

* * *

Xavier took several deep breaths to center himself, closing his eyes to focus his thoughts more precisely. This would take all of his control if he was to succeed in locating the mutant that he had sensed so fleetingly. If he had Cerebro, this would be much easier, but Cerebro was thousands of miles away, buried deep beneath his mansion in Westchester.

Casting his mind out into the either, he began to sweep carefully, his thoughts brushing the mind of each person that he encountered in a feather-light touch that no one would register the intrusion. This was something only the most skilled telepaths could accomplish, and the finest, most delicate control was needed to keep from hurting the people he was probing, attempting to compare them with the strange sense he had picked up while on the Astral Plane searching for Buffy.

Slowly, ever so slowly he searched, following the almost non-existent trail that the mutant had left behind. Only a telepath of his strength would have sensed the faint thought tendril that was left behind, like an echo of a presence.

All else faded from his mind, as he determinedly tracked the tendril, trying to trace it back to its point of origin.

* * *

Scott poked his head into the guest room that Joyce had given to the Professor, only to see his mentor deeply involved in searching for that strange mutant that he had sensed. Scott sighed but left as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb the man who was like a father to him.

His stomach growled as he headed for the stairs, so he decided to head downstairs and see if his Aunt was awake, or if nothing else to find some food and some coffee. Once the Professor had finished his search, he'd take the opportunity to discuss what should be done to help Buffy. As much as he hated to admit it, bringing Buffy out of the coma was going to depend on the Professor and his skills, because Scott had no way of accessing the Astral Plane, since he was not a telepath.

He found his Aunt in the kitchen, absently sorting through the mail and sipping a cup of tea – Earl Grey, if his nose didn't fail him. It was the Professor's favorite blend, and Scott had gotten very good at recognizing the aroma.

"Scott. Did you sleep well?" his Aunt asked as she glanced up from the pile of letters and bills in front of her.

"Well enough, Aunt Joyce. You look like you're feeling better too," he replied as he took a seat at the island counter.

"I'm more rested, but I won't be better until Buffy is home and well," Joyce admitted.

"I know the feeling, Aunt Joyce. I'm sorry that we barged in on you like this, without calling first."

"Oh, no, Scott. I love having you here, and Buffy will love to see you. I know she's missed you terribly."

"Still, we could have told you that we were coming," Scott replied, somewhat sheepishly. "It would have been one thing if I came alone, but with the Professor and all…"

"That's ridiculous, Scott. You are family, and anyone that you consider a friend is also welcome here," Joyce replied firmly. "Now, you must tell me what has been going on with you. I know I haven't written in a long time, I must be behind on some news."

Scott nodded absently. "It has been a long time, Aunt Joyce." He sighed as he thought about what he could tell her. "Our classes are just about to let out for the summer, fortunately. Most of the students will go home, but there are a few that board year-round with us, so Jean and Ororo decided to stay and watch out for them while I came out to visit, since Logan decided not to stay."

"Jean…she's your girlfriend, right?" Joyce asked.

Scott blushed slightly. "Yeah. She teaches Math, Chemistry, and Biology. We've been together for a few years now. I've been thinking lately about asking her to marry me, I just haven't found the right time to bring it up with her yet."

"I'm sure she will be thrilled if you just ask her."

"Maybe. I just wanted everything to be perfect when I ask her, and with the students around most of the time, it's been difficult to set up a really romantic night to bring up the subject. Actually, I'm positive she already knows I want to ask her, but she's being coy and is going to force me to actually say it," Scott admitted.

"As well you should. Ladies like to be asked, you know," his Aunt teased.

"Oh I know."

"Now, this Ororo…I don't think you've ever mentioned her before. What does she teach?"

"History and Horticulture." Scott replied. "She's one of the favorite teachers, mostly because of how kind she is, but I think at least eighty percent of the male students have a crush on her too."

"She's beautiful?" Joyce asked.

"Yes, in a very exotic way. She's from Africa; Kenya, specifically. She's the daughter of an American journalist and a Kenyan princess. She was orphaned at a young age unfortunately, but it only made her stronger. There is very little that can rattle her."

"The poor dear. But she's the daughter of a princess, you say? How interesting!" Joyce explained.

"She is very pretty though, with dark skin, these intense, dark eyes, and snow white hair that she's grown out to her waist." Scott continued. "Like I said, I think most of our boys have a crush on her, and she knows it too, but she's still very good with the children. She really cares about them."

"That's wonderful. I really am glad that you found something that you love to do, Scott. It used to worry me sometimes, when you seemed at a loss as to what your path would be. But who is this Logan?"

Scott sighed. "He's the newest arrival to the school. I don't know a lot about him, and he does seem very protective of the children, but there's just a lot that is missing. He suffers from amnesia, he doesn't remember anything beyond the last ten years or so. He's not even sure if 'Logan' is his real name. I think Professor Xavier wants to hire him on as the self-defense instructor though, because he is a very good fighter, and a lot of our students could use the esteem booster of being able to fend for themselves, since so many of them are from the streets."

"Abandoned?" Joyce asked.

"Or runaways, yes. There are others that were sent to us by their families, but the Professor is always willing to take a student in if he feels that they can benefit from his help."

"As a mother, I can appreciate that sentiment," Joyce said wistfully, and Scott knew her thoughts were back on Buffy, lying unconscious in the hospital.

"Tell me about Buffy's friends. I met Willow and Xander today," Scott said after a lengthy pause. He did have an ulterior motive besides distracting his Aunt. He still didn't fully trust Xander and what he might have heard, and knowing something about the boy could only be an advantage later.

"Oh yes. Buffy met them on her first day at Sunnydale High. I think they helped her when it came to easing the transition. They were both born here in Sunnydale, and they kind of took her in, helped her become familiar with the town. Willow's an extremely smart young lady and she's been spending a lot of time helping Buffy with her grades. They're always studying together and hanging out at the local club," Joyce said.

"And Xander?"

"Xander is…loyal," Joyce said, after a moment. "He's always there when Buffy needs a laugh, and he's always willing to drop what he's doing to help her with anything. His grades are not as good as Willow's, but he does have street smarts." Joyce sighed for a moment before continuing. "Willow and Xander aren't very popular, but Buffy didn't seem to have a problem accepting them. She's really grown up over the last year, with the divorce and the move. I've been so proud of her."

"What about Mr. Giles? I think he mentioned that he was the librarian?"

Joyce nodded. "Yes. He's Buffy's favorite teacher. He's always helping Buffy with her homework and mentoring her. She never used to like to spend time in the school library, but now she's there all the time with Willow and Xander. He even came to see me in the hospital when I fainted and cut myself on a barbecue fork."

"That was very nice of him," Scott said neutrally, wondering now if he should have put so much trust in Mr. Giles. There just seemed to be something so…_off_, about the whole situation.

* * *

Xavier slowly opened his eyes, allowing his mind to focus on his surroundings again as he sighed in defeat. _Temporary defeat_, he reminded himself. The strange mental signature had been extremely elusive, and he hadn't been able to pin it down, which was making him wonder just how new this mutant was.

It had taken him a lot of pain and effort to learn to develop his telepathic skills, just as it took most psychic mutants. You had to learn to guard and protect your own mind before you tried to reach into the minds of others, else you would find yourself going insane with the inability to stop other thoughts from invading your own. Yet it seemed that this mutant had already learned to shield his or her own mind, since Xavier was having so much trouble tracking the signature to its source.

Settling back into his wheelchair, he placed on hand on the control stick and maneuvered his chair carefully out of the room towards the staircase. He paused on the top landing, judging the angle of the stairs carefully, then ever so carefully eased his chair down the steps, his hands firmly on the wheels to keep from sending his chair into an uncontrolled slide.

Step by step he eased his way down the stairs, until he was safely at the bottom, at which point he maneuvered his chair towards the sound of Scott and Joyce's voices. He found them sitting together at the counter, talking quietly. "Good evening."

"Professor. Did you sleep well?" Scott asked, glancing over at his mentor.

"Yes, I did. You may report to Jean that I have received adequate amounts of rest and that you are doing a very good job of mother-henning me," he teased lightly.

Scott only chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that, sir. I really wasn't looking forward to a lecture from Jean if she judged that you had come home worse than when you left."

"You are covered," Xavier assured him.

"Did you have any difficulty getting downstairs, Professor?" Joyce asked, concerned. "Those stairs are so narrow and steep. I wish we had a place down here for you, but-" she trailed off as he raised his hand.

"Do not worry about it my dear. I've been in a wheelchair for a very long time, and learning to go down a set of stairs while in one is much easier than learning to go up one." He smiled at her, as the scent of her tea reached his nose. "Would it be too much to ask if I might enjoy a cup of your Earl Grey?"

"Oh, of course not!" Joyce said, getting out another tea bag and pouring some hot water from her teapot before handing it to him as it steeped. She hesitated, then continued. "If it isn't too personal a question, how did you...?"

"How did I end up in a wheelchair?" Xavier finished, sensing where she was going. "It's a long story, but the short version is I was trapped in a collapsing building and a stone slab fell on me and crushed my legs and lower spine."

"How awful!"

Xavier nodded, remembering, for the briefest moments, his anger, his fear, and his pain when he realized that he couldn't feel his legs any longer and when he realized that he would never walk again. After a moment, he pushed those thoughts aside as counterproductive.

"Professor, how was your meditation?" Scott asked as Xavier took a sip of his tea to test it.

"It went well enough, although I was unable to find the answers I was seeking," he replied cryptically, knowing that with the long years that he and Scott had known each other, his protégé would understand his meaning immediately.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Joyce said, listening to the conversation. "What will you do now?"

Xavier smiled warmly at her. "Why, try again, of course."


	9. Confrontation

**Chapter Nine: **_**Confrontation**_

_1630 Revello Drive…that evening_

Scott picked the rental keys up off the end table near the front door where he'd laid them earlier that day after coming back from the hospital with the Professor. "Aunt Joyce? Are you almost ready?"

"I'm ready now, Scott," Joyce replied as she picked up her purse and dug for her house keys.

"Professor? Are you ready?" Scott asked, before sending a thought towards his mentor, knowing Xavier would easily pick up on it. _If you want to stay here and pursue that new mutant, that would be fine._

"Yes, of course, Scott," Xavier answered as he maneuvered his chair towards the front door. In response to his student's mental comment, he replied, _**Thank you Scott, but I can try to track it from the hospital as well as I can from here.**_

"Let's go then," Scott said, opening the door wide enough for Xavier to get his chair through the narrow doorway that wasn't designed to accommodate a wheelchair. Joyce followed the Professor out, Scott bringing up the rear, closing the door so his Aunt could lock it.

It took very little time for Scott to assist the Professor into the rental and stow his wheelchair in the trunk, as Joyce slid into the backseat of the sedan. Scott quickly took his place behind the wheel, and headed for the hospital.

"Aunt Joyce, what do you know about Buffy's boyfriend?" Scott ventured as they drove.

His Aunt seemed surprised. "Her boyfriend? Buffy doesn't have a boyfriend."

"That older guy, um, Angel, I think he said his name was," Scott responded. "I heard Willow call him Buffy's boyfriend."

"Oh, no. He's just a friend of Buffy's. I've only met him once, before Buffy's accident, I mean. Buffy said he was a first year student at the college, and he was tutoring her in history."

"That's what he told me as well, but when he went in to visit her the other night, it looked like they might be a lot closer than just friends," Scott said. He shrugged. "It's not really any of my business I guess, but – "

"But you always look out for Buffy and you don't know this guy," Joyce finished. "I don't know him very well either, but Buffy knows how to take care of herself, and I know she'd tell me if she was dating someone regularly. I have met a few other guys that asked her out, but Buffy doesn't date much these days."

Scott nodded, but didn't comment as he kept his eyes on the road. It was getting dark, and with his dark-tinted glasses, it was getting more difficult to see the road. He normally didn't drive at night unless he was driving his customized car, because even with the streetlights and the headlamps on the car, it was difficult to see, but taking off his glasses wasn't an option.

Luckily, Sunnydale was such a small town that it didn't take long to reach the hospital and they had pulled into the lot and parked before it got too dark for him to see and drive. Turning off the car, he popped the trunk so he could get the Professor's wheelchair for him.

He had just gotten the Professor settled and was helping his Aunt out of the backseat when a voice drew his attention. "Well, well…look at what we have here. It looks like some tasty morsels that don't know better than to be on the streets. Whaddya think, Boss?"

Scott turned to see that while he had been preoccupied with his Aunt and the Professor, a small gang had surrounded their car, their faces hidden in shadow, but they moved with a definite purpose. Scott had a feeling that whatever that purpose was, it didn't bode well for his family.

"If we are intruding on your territory, we apologize," Xavier spoke up, quietly, trying to diffuse the situation. "We're just on our way to visit someone inside. We'll be happy to get out of your way."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere, Baldy," one of the gang members snarled. "We have plans for you."

Xavier decided to take a chance and leveled a telepathic bolt at the one that had just addressed him. If this man didn't have any type of mental shields, he could probably use his telepathic powers to drive them off. While he was not a violent man by nature, even he knew that there were times when fighting was the only option, and given the level of threat that he could sense coming from these men, he knew now was one of those times. Fortunately, his telepathic bolt wouldn't seriously injure the man, just drive him off.

He sent the bolt, and mentally recoiled as it bounced back at him. Only his strong mental shields kept it from affecting him the way he had intended it to affect their attackers.

This was not the first time that one of his attacks had failed to find its mark, although there was normally a very good reason for it, like a psychic mutant with very strong shields, or one that was simply immune to his gifts. Fortunately, instances like that were rare.

He tried another bolt, just in case, and again deflected it as it rebounded back on him. Switching tactics, he decided to try a mental probe, in an effort to find out what they were dealing with. He knew Scott would be hesitant to use his own abilities to drive off their assailants, but it might come down to that. If these thugs were somehow resistant to his powers, Scott would be the only one able to protect them, but as Xavier counted their assailants, he knew that six-to-one odds were not very good.

Not for the first time, he cursed the fact that he had lost the use of his legs. He had been more formidable in the days when he could walk, having had military training. Although he had mainly run search and rescue operations, there was some level of risk in those missions as well and some fighting skill was necessary.

Stretching out with his thoughts, Xavier attempted to probe the mind of his target, only to hit blankness.

Charles Xavier was arguably the most powerful telepath on the face of the planet. There were very, very few people that could resist or protect themselves from his abilities. When further enhanced by Cerebro, the chances of someone resisting were close to non-existent. However, nothing could have prepared him for what he sensed, or rather, didn't sense when he sent out his probe. It was like hitting a solid wall, or even more, like hitting nothing, although even hitting nothing would tell him something. In a way, it was like casting his probe into a void and watching it be swallowed up completely. It was a type of mental shield that Xavier had never seen before, and it was very, very sophisticated.

A quick scan of the gang revealed that they all had the same ability, and Xavier knew that they were in trouble.

_**Scott! This is going to come down to you. Whoever these people are, they're completely immune to my telepathy. I cannot get any reading on them at all**_, Xavier sent to his protégé.

_That's not a good sign_, Scott thought back. He was very familiar with his mentor's abilities and knew just how rare it was for _one_ person to be able to resist him, not to mention six!

The entire procedure had taken a matter of seconds, since thought traveled so much faster than speech or action. The gang didn't even have a chance to realize what the Professor was attempting before he had come to his startling conclusion and informed Scott.

"Now, if you just come along quietly with us, we won't have to hurt you…although if you'd like to try to run, we wouldn't argue, would we boys? We could use some sport," the one that Xavier had dubbed the leader said, his last words earning some chuckles from the rest of the gang.

"Aunt Joyce, when you get a chance, run for it," Scott hissed under his breath. "Get inside, have the nurses call the cops." With that, he lunged for the leader, his fist swinging, only to suddenly find himself flying through the air, his head impacting with the car door.

"Scott!" Xavier called, concerned for his student.

Scott was slowly rising to his feet, shaking his head dizzily. "I'm ok, Professor. Get out of here."

"You're not going anywhere, Baldy," another of the gang members said, stepping out of the shadows, giving Xavier a good look at his face. Xavier barely had time to register a seriously deformed face with heavy brow ridges and…were those fangs?...before his assailant tipped his chair to the side, sending him flying to the pavement.

A third assailant grabbed Joyce and pinned her arms behind her back. She screamed, only to have her attacker clamp a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries.

"Back to the lair, Boss?" the first lackey asked, as he helped the other three restrain Scott, who was desperately trying to remove his glasses, but they were not meant to come off easily, and with his hands securely pinned, he couldn't dislodge them.

"I think not," a new voice entered the conversation, one that was strangely familiar, and yet had a low, rasping quality to it.

Scott looked up, to see that a new figure had joined the struggle. His face was shrouded in darkness, but his tone left no room for argument.

"Back off, before I kill you for interfering," the leader snapped. "Although, that actually does sound like fun." He lunged towards the figure, only to be yanked forward into shadow. There was the brief sound of a scuffle, and then a whooshing sound.

"Boss?" one of the other members asked.

"He's dust," the new voice said. "I suggest you let them go and get gone before you all get the same treatment."

"Who the hell are you?" the lackey snapped.

"You can call me…Angelus."

**Author's Note: author grins evilly Ooh, cliffie! Stay tuned for the next update!**


	10. Explanations

**Author's Note: Here we go, folks! The big reveal!**

**Chapter Ten: **_**Explanations**_

The figure stepped out of the shadows and Scott and Xavier both stifled gasps as they recognized Angel, although this wasn't an Angel they would have expected to see. His once-handsome face was as badly deformed as the members of the gang that surrounded them, and his soft, dark eyes were now a burning yellow.

"The-the Scourge of Europe?" one of the lackeys asked, stuttering a bit in surprise.

Angel nodded - _or is it Angel?_ Xavier wondered, his voice low and raspy when he spoke, "This is my turf, and I'm telling you to clear out, because you won't like the consequences."

One of the braver lackeys decided he didn't care what Angel was telling him. "Screw you, man! You can't take us all on at once!" He turned to the others. "Take him and then we'll feast!"

In a rush, all the gang members had stopped what they were doing, the three restraining Scott lunging all at once towards Angel. Scott fell to the pavement, but now that his hands were free, he could reach his glasses.

He looked up to see his Aunt taking his advice and running for the hospital to get help. Standing, he twisted around, his hand coming to his face, ready to lift the protective lenses, only to pause in shocked disbelief as Angel thoroughly kicked the gang's asses.

Twisting to avoid a roundhouse kick, Angel shoved two of the gang members together, dropping them in a heap, as he thrust a sharpened piece of wood at a third gang member. The wood impacted with the gang member's chest. There was a momentary pause and then the man disintegrated into a dust cloud.

One of the two gang members that Angel had dropped was back on his feet. Lunging towards their opponent, his fist shot out and caught Angel in the face. Angel snarled – yes, he actually snarled – and punched his assailant back, before landing a devastating kick to the man's leg, shattering his knee and dropping him back to the pavement again. Angel followed him down and another dust cloud exploded into the air.

The third gang member was back on his feet as well, and grabbed Angel from behind in a choke hold. Angel simply ducked his shoulder, flipping his assailant forward and then stabbed him in the chest with the sharpened wooden stake.

As Angel grappled with the two gang members, Scott took advantage of the moment and raised his glasses. He had no idea what was going on, but he had to help.

A bright scarlet, unstoppable beam of pure force lanced out from behind the lenses and impacted the fourth gang member, turning him into dust at the moment of impact, and as Angel straightened up in preparation to attack the last gang member, Scott turned his powerful, and in this case, deadly, gaze on the assailant and watched as he vanished into a cloud of dust like his buddies. Scott quickly dropped his glasses back into place, although he left his hand on them, in case he needed to defend himself.

There was a moment of utter silence, broken by Scott's voice. "What the _hell_ is going on?" he demanded.

Angel's deformed face looked up at the two mutants and before either Scott or the Professor could say another word, Angel's face changed. The heavy brow ridges disappeared, which allowed the sinister slant of his eyes to relax back into their warm, open roundness. The color of his eyes changed from the burning yellow to the soft brown that Xavier had observed the other night and the sharp fangs in his mouth withdrew and vanished as Angel licked his lips. When he spoke, his voice was back to its normal, soft Irish-American accent, the gravelly, threatening tone having disappeared as well. "I could ask you the same question, but I already know the answer." He looked from Scott to the Professor. "You're both mutants."

Scott only tensed further. "How do you know that?"

Angel snorted, in a _Do I really look that stupid?_ way. "I've been around a long time, kid, and believe me, I've seen things that would send you running home screaming. Mutants aren't that shocking."

As Scott processed his words, Angel stepped gracefully around him and went to Xavier's side, righting the overturned chair and bending down to assist the fallen man. Scott bristled before Angel could touch his mentor. "Stay away from him."

"I won't hurt either of you. In fact, if you didn't notice, I just saved your lives," Angel said, his soft voice showing his confusion. "Why would I save you, if I was planning to hurt you?"

Scott took a threatening step forward, his hand tightening on his glasses. "I said, stay away from him."

Xavier glanced up. "It's all right, Scott. He's telling the truth." He looked from Scott to Angel. "I can sense it."

Scott shot a startled look towards the Professor, but quickly brought his gaze back to Angel. _Are you sure, sir? His face was the same as those…things that attacked us. He might be one of them._

Xavier nodded to Angel, and the taller man bent down and carefully lifted the Professor into his arms as if he weighed nothing, settling him back into his wheelchair easily. _**I'm positive, Scott. I can't sense his thoughts, but I can tell that he won't hurt us. Stand down.**_

Angel nodded, slowly. "I can tell you, but I doubt you'd believe me. We need to go and see Giles. He can explain it all much better than I can."

"Fine. Let's go," Scott said, tersely, anxious to check and make sure that his Aunt was all right.

Before they got more than a few paces, however, police cars swarmed them, and they were forced to stop as the officers jumped out of their cars, guns drawn. "Hold it!" one of the officers barked.

All three of them stopped quickly. Angel glanced quickly at Scott and Xavier. "Let me talk to them. There are some things that they shouldn't find out." He paused, and then added, "Unless you want to find yourselves in a mental institution."

Xavier nodded. "By all means. This is your town. Tell them what you must."

"Hands up!" The first officer barked again. All three of them slowly raised their hands. The first officer gestured and several more officers stepped forward and quickly searched them, finding only a small pocketknife on Angel, which surprised Scott. _What did he do with the sharpened wood?_

"What's going on here?" The lead officer asked once it was confirmed that there were no other weapons present.

Angel sent a brief, apologetic look towards them, so quickly Scott barely registered it before he spoke. "It was a gang, officer. I was on the way to visit my girlfriend, and I saw these two and a lady being threatened by a gang. I'm a black belt, so I thought I would stop and help them, especially when I saw that one of them was in a wheelchair. There was a brief scuffle, and finally they ran off, after the lady ran away to call you."

"What did they look like?" the officer asked as he took out a small notebook.

"They were high, on PCP or something," Angel said. "I didn't notice any distinguishable gang markings or colors, I'm afraid. Too busy fighting."

"What's your name?" the officer asked.

"Angel O'Connell," he replied, his accent heavier than usual. He gave the officer his address when it was requested.

"And the two of you? Who are you and what are you doing here?" the officer turned to Scott and Xavier. Behind the officer, they saw Angel give an almost imperceptible nod.

"I'm Professor Charles Xavier, officer. This is my student, Scott Summers. We're from New York."

"You're a long way from home, Professor," the officer commented as he made note of their names.

"Indeed. We were here on vacation. Scott has an Aunt and a cousin who live here and we came out to visit them. When we got here, we found out that his cousin had been in an accident and is now in a coma. We had taken his Aunt home for some rest, and were coming back to visit Buffy again when we were attacked."

The officer made a note of this and then asked for the Professor's address. "1407 Greymalkin Lane in Westchester, New York," the Professor responded. "I run a school there for gifted students. Scott is one of the teachers as well as being one of my students."

"May I have the name of your Aunt and her address?" the officer asked Scott. "In case we need to ask you more questions."

"Joyce Summers," Scott replied. "Her address is 1630 Revello Drive." He shifted, his head starting to hurt where it had been slammed into the car. "If that's all, officer, I'd really like to go and check on my aunt and cousin."

The officer nodded. "I think we have enough information for the report. If we need anything else, we'll get in touch with you."

"Thank you, officers," Angel cut in smoothly.

The officer gestured and the rest headed back to their cars, leaving the way clear for the three men to head over to the hospital entrance, where Joyce was waiting for them, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Oh, Scott! Are you all right? Professor?" she asked, her hands coming to rest on Scott's shoulders.

"We're fine, Aunt Joyce. A little banged up, but otherwise, all right. If Angel hadn't come along when he did, things might have turned out very different," Scott said, his gaze going back to the tall, pale man. He still wanted answers, badly.

"Let us go and check on Buffy, Mrs. Summers. After that, Scott and I need to have a word with Angel," Xavier interjected smoothly.

"Oh, yes. Of course," Joyce said, her attention broken as she looked up at Angel. "Thank you so much for helping us."

Angel shrugged, disarmingly. "It's just a good thing that I was on my way here to visit Buffy."

Together the four of them headed up to the intensive care unit to check on Buffy. All through the elevator ride, Scott kept shooting wary glances at Angel, wondering if he had really seen what he had thought he had seen. Angel looked so normal…_well, other than his unusual paleness, that is_, Scott thought.

Angel seemed to be aware of the glances Scott was sending him, although he didn't react to it other than an almost imperceptible nod, and a look that simply asked for patience. How Angel could tell that Scott was still very uncertain was a mystery, however, since Scott's eyes were again hidden behind his glasses, his power contained by the ruby quartz.

Giles was sitting in the waiting room, idly flipping through an old, battered, leather-bound book. As they approached, he looked up, closing the book and slipping it into his briefcase. He opened his mouth to greet them, and then paused for the briefest moment, his eyes going to Angel. "Err, good evening Mrs. Summers, Professor, Scott, Angel. There hasn't been any change with Buffy since you left, I'm afraid. The doctors were here earlier and mentioned wanting to run some more tests tomorrow morning, although since I am not family, they wouldn't elaborate."

Joyce nodded, her face showing her disappointment. "I'll speak to them when they come to do the evening rounds." She stepped inside the room to visit her daughter, while the men waited outside.

"Giles, we need to talk," Angel said, his voice low. "It's urgent." He allowed his eyes to flash golden for a moment, out of sight of the two mutants, hoping Giles would catch his meaning.

Giles nodded. "Of course. Once you've all visited with Buffy, we'll go somewhere private to talk."

* * *

_Giles' Apartment…one hour later_

"Would anyone like some tea?" Giles asked, ever the gracious host as he opened the door to admit his guests. The hospital had been deemed too public for a discussion about the darker side of Sunnydale, and with the school library – Giles' other sanctum – undergoing extensive repairs and remodeling, he and Angel had decided that the safest place to have the discussion was at his own flat.

"Tea would be wonderful, thank you, Mr. Giles," the Professor replied as he carefully navigated his chair into the living area. Scott flanked his mentor, still uneasy about the whole situation. It had taken ample persuasion (and a tiny telepathic suggestion from Xavier) before he had agreed to join them and leave his Aunt sitting with Buffy.

Angel hesitated outside Giles' door for a moment. He had never been here before, and had no invitation to enter. Giles seemed to realize that a split second later and called out as he entered the kitchen to make some tea, "Come in, Angel."

The barrier holding Angel back fell away with Giles' invitation and Angel stepped through, casting a grateful look at the Watcher before moving towards the corner of the room.

"Scott? Angel? May I offer you some tea?" Giles asked as he put a kettle on to boil.

"No, thank you, Giles," Angel said simply.

Scott shook his head wordlessly. His gaze was roaming around the apartment, taking in the old-fashioned décor and the piles of old, battered books lying around on every surface. It wasn't what he would have expected, but somehow, it seemed right, despite the fact that he barely knew Giles. "What is going on around here?" he finally demanded. "I know that what we saw tonight was not normal."

Giles emerged from his kitchen. "Well, 'normal' would depend on the circumstances surrounding the event, would it not?"

"I think seeing six deformed men with fangs would qualify as 'not normal', don't you?" Scott asked, heavy sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Indeed, but again, normal would depend on your perception. To someone like myself, or Angel, what you saw tonight is perfectly normal," Giles replied calmly.

"What exactly did we see tonight, Mr. Giles?" Xavier asked, applying the slightest hint of persuasive force to Giles' mind with his own.

Before Giles could answer, Angel answered for him. "You saw vampires, Professor. Hungry vampires that would have happily made a snack of all three of you."

Scott snorted derisively. "Vampires, right. Convenient, isn't it, since they don't exist."

Xavier held up his hand, silencing his student. "After some of the things that we've seen, Scott, vampires are not that much of a stretch."

"Really, Professor. Vampires? They're just myths told to scare children around campfires." Scott insisted.

"Oh really?" Angel asked. "Then how do you explain this?" Stepping forward into the light, he allowed his demon to come forward, feeling his face shift as his true face was revealed.

Seeing Angel in the darkness like this had been faintly sinister, but in the full light, watching his features shift was downright frightening. Angel's skin rippled like water, his brow angling out and down, which brought his eyes up into an evil slant. The color of his eyes changed from brown to burning yellow, and the teeth…

"Dear God…" Scott breathed, stepping back involuntarily.

A moment later, and Angel's face returned to normal. He stepped closer to the Professor. "I am sure that as a scientist, you can verify my lack of pulse, Professor." He extended his forearm, and Xavier reached out and wrapped his own hand around Angel's wrist, finding the vein with ease. A moment, and then Xavier nodded. "No pulse at all."

"My heart hasn't beat for over two hundred years," Angel said simply.

Scott frowned. "But how is that possible?"

Angel shrugged. "Magic, demons, who knows? It's just something that I've come to accept."

Giles cleared his throat. "You see Scott…the world is older than you know, and contrary to popular belief, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the earth. They made it their home, their…hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the old ones are certain vestiges, certain magics, certain creatures, like vampires."

Scott and the Professor glanced at each other after listening to this. _Professor, is all this for real? I mean, vampires, demons, and magic?_

Professor Xavier thought about everything that they were saying, gently probing Giles' mind to detect any hint of deceit. It was very hard to lie to a telepath, especially one as powerful as Xavier. Finally he nodded, slowly. _**I think that they are telling the truth Scott. At least, they believe that they are telling the truth, and given the fact that Angel has no pulse and we both witnessed his transformation, I'd have to agree with them.**_

Scott sighed. "Okay, fine. Vampires and demons are real, and you're a vampire?" he asked Angel. Angel nodded and Scott continued. "Why aren't you trying to kill us then? In all the vampire myths I've heard, vampires are supposed to be pure evil."

Giles interjected. "You're correct, Scott. Vampires are evil. The oldest books tell that the last demon to leave this reality fed off of a human and mixed their blood. The human died and another demon came and possessed the body of the victim. That first vampire bit another, and another, creating more of their kind, and now they walk the earth, killing some, mixing their blood with others to create more of their kind, waiting for the humans to die out and the old ones to return."

"You didn't answer my question. If Angel is a true vampire, why isn't he trying to kill us? Why did he save us?"

"Angel is a special case…" Giles began, but Angel cut him off with a shake of his head.

"There was a time, Scott, when I was the worst of the worst. One hundred years ago, I was as evil as they come. I haven't fed off of a human in a century, however."

"Why?" Xavier asked, also curious about the strange vampire.

Angel sighed. "I was turned back in 1727, in Ireland. My sire, a vampire named Darla, taught me all about evil. I killed and maimed for the pure pleasure that it gave me, and I had no guilt, no remorse about it, because once you become a vampire, your human soul is lost. For one hundred and fifty years, Darla and I wrecked havoc across Europe, and I became known as the Scourge of Europe, the vampire Angelus, the one with the angelic face." Angel's face looked haunted for a moment, as if he was reliving everything that he had ever done.

"What changed, what made you stop killing humans?" Xavier asked.

Angel sighed. "A mistake. Darla and I were in Romania, and Darla brought me a young gypsy girl, the favorite daughter of her Clan, as a gift. I fed off the girl, and killed her. Somehow, her Clan found out and in retribution they cursed me. They restored my soul."

"And that changed you?" Scott asked, skeptically.

"Suddenly, without warning, I was a man in the body of a demon. One hundred and fifty years worth of crimes came crashing down on me, all at once. I could see the faces and knew the names of every person that I'd ever hurt or killed. It was the perfect punishment for me, and it nearly drove me insane. I almost stepped out into the sunlight the next morning, but my self-preservation kicked in and prevented it." Angel replied. "But now, I cannot bring myself to kill a human, and I still see the faces of my victims. I will live forever, and I will remember forever."

There was silence for a long moment, as the teakettle whistled and Giles went to pour cups for himself and Professor Xavier. When he returned, Scott broached another question. "If vampires can create more of their own as easily as you claim, why haven't they overrun the world?"

Giles sighed. "Because of the Slayer."

"The Slayer?" Xavier asked.

Giles nodded. "For as long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer, a Chosen One, destined to hunt the vampires to extinction. At the time of the earliest vampires, the Powers That Be took a young girl and gave her a special destiny. She alone would stand against the forces of darkness, and thus the first Vampire Slayer was born. Eventually, of course, she died, and upon her death, the power of the Slayer passed to another girl, and another, and so it has been through the ages, with each new Slayer inheriting the gifts of the previous Slayers."

"What gifts are these?" Xavier asked.

"Enhanced speed, strength, and stamina. Instant weapons expertise. Rapid healing," Giles replied. "All the gifts that the Slayer needs to stand against the vampires."

"Is there a Slayer now?" Scott asked.

"There is always a Slayer, but yes, she is here in Sunnydale," Giles replied quietly. "She is in my charge. I'm her Watcher, her guide and guardian. I help to train her and prepare her for her fight."

"Who is the Slayer?" Scott asked.

There was utter silence in the apartment, and suddenly, he knew the answer. "No."

"Scott," Angel tried.

"No! Not Buffy," Scott snapped. "You…you _bastards_, you took my innocent cousin and turned her into this…this…Slayer? This mystical warrior?"

Giles shook his head hard. "Scott, we had nothing to do with it. Buffy was Chosen by the Powers That Be to become the Slayer."

"Let her go! She doesn't deserve that!" Scott demanded.

"There's nothing we can do, Scott. Buffy will be the Slayer until she dies. The only way a new Slayer is called is when the old Slayer dies," Giles said.

"No! There must be a way to release her!"

Xavier stilled his protégé with a touch on his arm. _**Scott, calm down. Hysterics will not help your cousin.**_

It took a great deal of effort on Scott's part, but he managed to rein in his anger. "Does my aunt know?"

Giles shook his head. "No."

Angel hastened to explain further. "She does have friends, Scott. She's not alone in her fight. Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and I all help her. And she has Giles."

Giles nodded. "That is much better than most Slayers have had it, Scott. Most of the girls with the potential to become Slayers are identified early by the Watcher's Council and taken in and raised from a young age with full knowledge that they might become the Slayer. Buffy, however, wasn't found when she was young. She was called last year, when she was living in L.A. I wasn't her Watcher then, I didn't meet her until she moved here, to Sunnydale."

Scott stood there, trying to process all of this. His thoughts went back to all the emails and phone calls that had passed between him and Buffy over the last two years. All the trouble that she had been in, the fights, getting expelled… "So she burnt down her high school gym because of vampires?"

Giles nodded. "Yes." He sighed. "Scott, the life of a Slayer is a hard one, but Buffy has it much better than most Slayers. She has friends, and family. She goes to school, goes on dates, and has fun when she's not slaying. Most Slayers don't have those opportunities. But Buffy is special. She slipped through the cracks, and by the time I became her Watcher, I realized that I couldn't take those things away from her. It has meant some difficulty, but overall, Buffy is doing much better than other Slayers. She has already outlived the average Slayer."

Scott whipped around and glared at Giles. "What do you mean?"

"Most Slayers only last a year before they are killed. Buffy has already made it through two years as the Slayer. She is one of the most gifted Slayers that there has ever been," Giles replied.

Scott took a deep breath and looked at Giles seriously. "Was Buffy hurt because she's the Slayer?"

"Yes," Giles replied honestly.

"Tell me. Everything."

Giles looked between the two newcomers and Angel, then nodded. "It started about sixty years ago, with a vampire called 'The Master'…"

* * *

At least, that's what it felt like.

She seemed to be completely alone here. All that she could see was utter whiteness. There was no color, no life at all. Well, except for herself, of course.

She was bored.

"Okay, anytime someone wants to explain this to me, please feel free," she called, not really expecting a response.

As she expected, there was no answer. She sighed. This really was the pits. You'd think if she had to be trapped here…wherever here was…there could at least be a cute guy to pass the time with. Sure, it wouldn't be Angel, but at least she'd have company.

Suddenly, a horrible thought struck her. Was she dead? Had the Master gotten the last laugh after all? She thought she'd defeated him, after all she remembered seeing his skeleton on the table and talking with the others. Then she'd turned away, and suddenly she was here.

Panic rose inside her. "Is someone there? Anyone?" she called, desperation clouding her voice. "Help me! Please, help me!"

* * *

"And that's all we know thus far," Giles finished with a sigh. "The doctors are at a loss to explain her coma, and we can't exactly come forward with this information."

Scott sat on Giles' couch, where he had collapsed when Giles began to explain just how his cousin had been injured. He was speechless. Suddenly, however, everything began to make sense. All of Buffy's veiled references to 'gangs', the 'nightlife', and the other topics that he had sometimes had the impression that she was dancing around.

"What can we do for her?" he asked, sure that his tone was as numb and disbelieving as his heart felt.

Giles sighed again and shook her head. "I don't know, Scott. Believe me, if I did, I would have already done something to help her. There is absolutely no mention in the Codex of something like this happening. In fact, according to the Codex, Buffy should be dead and Xander shouldn't have been able to revive her. We're 'flying blind' as I believe you Americans like to say."

"Perhaps…" Xavier began, a question forming in his mind before he paused.

Scott looked up when his mentor didn't finish his thought. "Professor?"

Xavier held up his hand and 'listened' hard.

_Is someone there? Anyone?_

There! It was faint, and very far off, but it was definitely a girl's voice, and it definitely originated on the Astral Plane.

_Help me! Please, help me!_

This time the voice was tinged with panic. Xavier quickly replied, hoping to make contact with the voice. _**I am here. I will help you.**_ He listened hard again, hoping that the girl had heard him.

Nothing. If the girl had heard his call, she wasn't responding. He huffed in frustration. If there was one thing that he disliked about his powers, it was the imprecise nature of them. Telepathy was nowhere near an exact science, even for someone as powerful as he was.

He shook his head slightly and looked back at Scott, who was waiting for him to finish his thought from a moment ago, and looked very curious as to what had distracted him. "I apologize. As I was saying, perhaps there is another of these 'prophecies' that explains more about what happened to Buffy? Some type of 'mystical' bond that was formed between the Master and her when he bit her?"

Giles shook his head. "If there is, I don't have a record of it. The Codex has the most complete record of prophecies concerning the Slayer. I've put a request in for assistance with the rest of the Council, but as yet no one has been able to come up with anything."

Angel spoke up from where he was standing in the shadows. "Giles, we could debate this all night and not come up with anything new. We've all gone over and over this and unless our new friends have some other ideas, perhaps we should discuss their own abilities."

Scott bristled defensively. "What do you mean by that?"

Angel sighed dramatically. "In case you've forgotten, I know what you are. I've been around for a while, and I think I can recognize a pair of mutants when I see them."

The two mutants in question glanced at each other, and then at Angel. There was a long silence before the Professor said quietly, "How did you know?"

"Other than the lightshow that came from Scott when he raised his glasses during the fight?" Angel replied. "You tried to read my mind, Professor. When I offered to help you after the fight, I could sense it when you tried. I'm a vampire. Vampires are impervious to telepathy. Our thoughts are there, but like the mirror, create no reflection in the telepath."

Xavier looked fascinated. "Is that a learned talent?"

Angel shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. It's just something that comes with being a vampire, like the allergy to sunlight, holy water, wooden stakes, and crosses."

"I do wish we were back in Westchester. I'd love to experiment with this ability of yours. It would make a formidable defense against hostile psychics," Xavier replied.

"I'm afraid not, Professor," Angel said. "I'm not very keen on the idea of being a lab rat."

Giles cleared his throat. "So, if I am understanding this properly, you are a telepath, Professor? The rumors about you being a mutant are true?"

_**Of course. I couldn't run a school for mutants if I wasn't, could I?**_

Giles jumped as the Professor's voice sounded clearly in his mind. "Good Lord," he stammered, reaching for his glasses and his handkerchief and polishing them rapidly.

Xavier chuckled and leaned back in his chair, raising his teacup to his lips.

Giles put his glasses back on and studied Scott next. "May I ask what your abilities are?"

"Optic beams," Scott replied shortly.

Giles frowned. "I'm sorry. Could you clarify that?"

"Scott's body absorbs solar energy and converts it into a powerful blast that comes from his eyes," Xavier explained.

Angel nodded. "That would explain why those vampires dusted when those beams hit them. It was solar energy, and vampires combust when we come in contact with the sun's rays. But the glasses?"

"Ruby quartz lenses," Xavier explained. "The only material we've found that blocks the beams. Scott does not have the ability to, shall we say, 'turn off' his power at will. It is always 'on', and the lenses filter the beams and diffuse them to harmlessness."

Scott sighed. "If I ever took my glasses off, my beams would be powerful enough to, as my girlfriend put it once, punch a hole through a mountain."

"Fascinating," Giles said, studying Scott intently. "I wonder if there's some link to you and Buffy. Have mutations proven to run in families?"

Xavier nodded. "Sometimes, yes. It's still very early to say for sure. As far as we can tell, this generation of mutants is only the second. Many adults that have the mutant X gene may have passed it to their children without being mutants themselves. It's still debatable whether it passes as a dominant or a regressive trait, although current indications are that it is a dominant trait."

"Fascinating," Giles repeated, his gaze moving from Scott to Xavier. "But, perhaps now we can talk about you, Professor."

Xavier met the Englishman's calm gaze with one of his own. "What about me?"

"Xander overheard the two of you talking earlier, and distinctly heard you say that you could bring Buffy out of the coma. Is that true?" Giles asked, deciding now was not the time to mince words.

Xavier weighed his answer as he considered Giles and Angel. Both of them looked hopeful, and Xavier was reluctant to dash their hopes. While he had been able to help people trapped in their own minds before, it was not an exact science. A lot of his ability to help people depended on the person's own psychic strength. Scott was adamant that Buffy had no psychic power, and the test the Professor had done earlier seemed to prove that, although, given the latest revelations about his young cousin, Scott might be rethinking his assessment about her.

"First, I must ask you," he began. "Is Buffy psychic in anyway?"

"Being the Slayer isn't enough?" Scott muttered.

_**Not now, Scott**_, Xavier commanded his student. Now wasn't the time for another debate about Buffy's newly discovered status and Giles' role in turning her into what she was.

Giles thought about Xavier's question. "As the Slayer, she is occasionally prone to prophetic dreams. Not many Slayers have demonstrated that ability in the past, but it is not unheard of, either."

"Perhaps I should rephrase my question. Outside of her known abilities as the Slayer, has she ever demonstrated any psychic abilities?" Xavier clarified. Prophetic dreams were a rare psychic gift, but since they appeared to be part of the Slayer package, he was reluctant to count them in his favor.

Giles frowned in thought, before shaking his head. "Not to my knowledge. Angel?"

The vampire stepped forward, out of the shadows a bit, also frowning. "She's never mentioned anything to me, other than her Slayer dreams, but we've had…sporadic…contact this year, especially after she found out what I am."

Xavier nodded slowly, thinking hard. "I have successfully woken coma patients before, but in every case, they've been psychic mutants. Since Buffy's psychic abilities seem to come from being the Slayer, a mystic gift, I don't know if I will be able to help her in the same way I've helped others. I am willing to try, but it may not make any difference."

"Any assistance would be better than the current situation," Giles pointed out. "What do you need from us?"

* * *

Buffy shot to her feet, looking around. She didn't like the sound of that voice. It sent shivers down her spine, because it was all too eerily reminiscent of the Master.

"Oh, and I should feel special?" she quipped to the empty air, fighting to contain the fear that was trying to overwhelm her.

She whimpered in pure fright, backing away as her nightmare came true again, and he stalked her, the darkness trailing her and consuming everything around it again.

"No…you're dead. I staked your ass…" she managed.

"No…no please. This isn't real. This is a dream…" she forced out, still backing away, even as he came closer and closer to her with each passing moment. "Help me. Giles...Angel…someone help me!"

A sinister laugh was the only response to her plea.

* * *


	11. Hopes Dashed

**Chapter Eleven: **_**Hopes Dashed**_

Xander stepped out of Buffy's room for a few minutes to stretch his stiff body. Days of sitting in the monstrosities the hospital called chairs was taking a toll on even his youthful flexibility and endurance. How Mrs. Summers was enduring it was beyond Xander's comprehension.

Strolling over to the snack machine he quickly chose something that would give him an energy boost. After Giles got back, he and Willow were going to head home for the night, so they could get some sleep. Tomorrow night they were supposed to meet with Angel and do a quick sweep to make sure the vampires were still scattered by the Master's death.

Xander sighed and took a bite of the chocolate bar that he had chosen, before turning and heading back towards Buffy's room. He had nearly gained the door when Willow shot out of the room and slammed into him, knocking them both to the tile floor.

"Oomph!" they chorused as they fell in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Willow? What-?" Xander asked as he tried to lift his best friend off of him. She suddenly gasped and grabbed his hand as she pulled herself to her feet, thereby pulling him up with her.

"It's Buffy!" Willow said, half-dragging Xander into the room with her. Xander took stock of the situation almost immediately. For the last week, Buffy had been lying completely still in the hospital bed, the beeping of the monitors and the slow rise and fall of her chest the only signs that she was still alive.

Now, however, she was whimpering and her head was tossing back and forth on the pillow, her hands clenching and unclenching in the sheets. Sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead. Her mom was standing next to the bed, trying to hold her daughter still, calling out to her.

"Buffy! Buffy, sweetheart! Wake up! It's all right!"

"Come on, Buff! Wake up!" Xander added his own encouragement to Mrs. Summers, willing to try anything to break her out of the coma. When there was no response other than the fervent tossing, Xander glanced over his shoulder at Willow. "Call a nurse!" he told her, and then, before she could leave, mouthed, _Call Giles!_

Willow nodded and left the room, heading for the nurses' station. Xander moved towards the bed and tried to help Mrs. Summers restrain Buffy, talking to her all the while as they attempted to help her wake up. A few minutes later several nurses and doctors rushed in and began to tend to Buffy, forcing Xander and Joyce out of the room as they did so.

* * *

_Giles' Apartment_

The phone ringing interrupted the discussion they were having about how Xavier could use his telepathic powers to wake Buffy from her coma. Giles excused himself and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Giles! Come quick! Something's happening with Buffy. She might be waking up!" Willow's excited, youthful voice sounded in his ear.

For a long moment there was silence as Giles processed the words, his head not believing what his heart had wanted to hear so often for the last few days. "What?"

"Hurry, Giles!" With that, Willow hung up.

Giles just stood there, staring at the receiver in his hand, trying to figure out what had just happened. He barely noticed as Angel rounded the sofa and came to stand next to him. "Giles?"

With a start, he looked back at his guests. "We need to get back to the hospital."

Scott rose to his feet, his jaw tight. "Is it Buffy? Is she all right?"

Giles shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, causing Scott's face to reflect his dismay. "That was Willow. Something's happened."

"What!" every voice in the room chorused.

After a moment, Giles finally processed the shocking news. "Buffy seems to be waking up."

Dead silence.

Followed by a cheer as everyone rushed for the door as one. Together they piled into Scott's rental, and, after a slight delay while the Professor was settled, they barreled off to the hospital.

They stormed onto the critical care wing together, to see Joyce, Xander, and Willow all waiting anxiously outside Buffy's room. Scott demanded information from his aunt, who related what she knew, and then they all sat back to wait for the doctors to come out with good news.

As Buffy's family and friends discussed what could have brought about this sudden change, Xavier frowned in thought, remembering the tiny thought he had intercepted earlier, the cry for help. Moving his chair to a quiet corner of the room, he closed his eyes and sent a thought-probe into Buffy's room.

Through the eyes of his astral self, he could see the doctors working over the tossing form of the young Slayer. Their comments were terse and abrupt and not at all pleased. It was at that moment that Xavier realized that the exact opposite of what everyone hoped was happening. Buffy wasn't waking up.

She was getting worse.

**Author's Note: Short chapter tonight, I know, but I couldn't resist!**


	12. Desperate Times

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Just a quick note to explain how the next couple of chapters are going to go. There will be some long parts in the next few chapters that are all in italics. I did this to designate when people are on the Astral Plane or in Buffy's thoughts, since they aren't technically interacting on the physical world. Anyway, just thought I'd let you know it was deliberate and not a formatting error!**

**Chapter Twelve: **_**Desperate Times**_

"Stay away from me!" she whimpered as she continued to back away from him. He was stalking her slowly, apparently enjoying every moment of her torment.

"Someone help me! Please!" she screamed.

There was no answer.

* * *

Xavier pulled his thoughts back into his own mind. They didn't have much time, but he couldn't do anything until the doctors left. Buffy was essentially dying, and if he didn't bring her out of the coma soon, there would be nothing left of her mind to recover.

Idly, he wondered if a new Slayer would be called if Buffy were alive but unable to perform her duties because she had no mind left. Dismissing those gloomy thoughts, Xavier set himself. Pulling Buffy out of this was going to take some extraordinary measures, and he honestly wasn't sure what he could do.

Sending a probe back into the room, Xavier watched as Buffy's struggles slowed and ceased. Her heart rate had gone up slightly and it slowly returned to its previous level, as did all the other indicators of her condition. Her brain wave pattern, however, grew weaker, alarming Xavier. She was not yet in the critical zone, although if there were any more episodes like the one she'd just suffered, that wouldn't remain the case for long.

The doctors filed out of the room, to be met with the hopeful faces of Buffy's family. Xavier roused himself and came over to join them, wanting to hear their theories about what was happening.

"Is she awake?" Joyce asked, her face bright with hope.

Doctor Jameson, Buffy's attending physician since her arrival at the hospital frowned. "I'm afraid not. She was never close to awakening. Her condition has actually deteriorated, although I am at a loss to explain why."

Joyce paled as her face lost all trace of hope. Scott pulled her close and looked at the doctor. "She's worse?"

Jameson nodded. "I am unsure why. Every test we've run has not shown any cause for the coma, let alone any reason why her condition would worsen so suddenly. We'll run some more tests in the morning, but at this point, it seems that she is not going to awaken, short of a miracle."

Joyce buried her face in her nephew's shoulder, trying not to cry as the doctor's grim prognosis registered. Scott glared at the doctor. "There must be something you can do!"

"We're doing everything we can. There are just some times when modern medicine isn't enough," Jameson said, coolly. "An intern will come by in the morning to bring her for the tests I'll schedule tonight."

With that, the doctor left with his companions. Joyce took advantage of Scott's shoulder and began to cry. Buffy's friends all looked stunned and disheartened.

Scott, however, turned to Xavier. _What now, sir?_

_**Now, I'll need to try**_, Xavier sent to his student. _**See if you can get your aunt calmed down while I go in and sit with Buffy. I'll need privacy, if I'm going to do this, there can be no distractions.**_

Scott nodded. "Aunt Joyce, come on. Let's get you something to eat and you can compose yourself before we go back in to see Buffy."

Joyce shook her head firmly. "I'm not leaving her again."

"She won't be alone, Joyce," Xavier reassured her quietly. "I'll stay with her. You've had a shock, you need to take some time and compose yourself before you go back in there." He moved forward and laid a hand on her arm, compassionately. "Your attitude might affect whether or not she will wake up."

Joyce looked down at him. "What do you mean?"

The Professor steepled his fingers. "The doctor said a miracle could save her. I've been a scientist for a long time, my dear, and one thing I have noticed, time and time again, is that sometimes there are unexplainable events when a patient who should by all rights and all medical knowledge have died, suddenly recovers. You may call it divine intervention, a miracle, positive thinking, whatever you would like, but sometimes it does happen. If you go into that room thinking that Buffy is not going to make it because of what the doctor said, she very well may not."

Joyce took a deep breath and nodded. "You think there's still hope?"

Xavier nodded firmly. "I think there is hope until the moment that the doctors declare her dead and sign her death certificate. They haven't yet, so there is still hope." He looked at all of them. "All of you, go with Scott, compose yourself, and think positively. When you are in a better frame of mind, you may come back."

Everyone present stared at the crippled professor. At that moment, none of them noticed his wheelchair, only the fact that he was holding all of their hopes and keeping them alive. (Of course, it didn't hurt that Xavier was subtly influencing all of their minds with his telepathy. Well, all but Angel, but even Angel seemed to see the truth of his words.)

Together they drifted off, led by Scott, who kept his arm wrapped around his aunt's shoulders.

Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths to center himself, before reaching out and grasping Buffy's cool hand in his own warm one. One by one, he dropped his mental shields, all but the ones around the core of his own mind, as he extended his thoughts out to the Astral Plane, focusing on one lost little girl, trapped somewhere she should never have found herself.

* * *

As he opened his eyes and set himself firmly on the Astral Plane, he looked around, surprised at the twisted, barren landscape that he was faced with. It was something out of a nightmare.

All around him was a massive cavern, complete with dripping stalactites, skittering creatures, and stagnant pools of water. What made this a little different were the twisted iron candelabras with dripping candles, the shattered church pews, and the altar…

He stood on the edge of a steep, well-worn path in the dirt and carefully picked his way down it, setting his feet carefully. Being on the Astral Plane did have some advantages, like being able to walk again. His astral self wasn't bound by his physical limitations. But this was not the Astral Plane that he was familiar with.

Metaphor was the rule of thumb when dealing with the Astral Plane and interpreting it the key to understanding it. But this…this was real. There was no metaphor here. Whatever Buffy was experiencing in her mind, it was strong enough to warp the fabric and the rules of the Astral Plane accordingly.

Once he reached the bottom of the slope safely, he looked around. She had to be here. But where? So much of this cave was in shadow, and there were who knew how many tunnels branching off from it. Was that the metaphor? That Buffy was lost somewhere in this maze, and it had merely taken the shape of this cavern because it was something the Slayer feared?

The voice came from everywhere all at once, making Xavier look around carefully. One downside to the Astral Plane was that it was just as dangerous as the physical plane. If he was hurt or killed here, it would translate over to the physical plane. This was most likely why Buffy's condition had deteriorated so suddenly. Something had happened to her here, and it and translated into fading vitals. He had to get her out of here, fast.

"Thanks for having me." Suddenly, there she was, a few feet ahead of him, holding a crossbow and looking around the cavern carefully. "You know, you really oughta talk to your contractor. Looks like you've got some water damage."

A dark form stepped out from one of the shadows. The menacing face came into the light, and for a moment, even Xavier was forced to pause at the burning eyes, the bloodstained mouth and the sharp, cruel fangs. " Oh goody, the feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the-"

Buffy whirled and fired. The bolt sailed across the expanse of the cave and for a moment Xavier was sure that it was going to hit the monster. But the creature had faster reflexes than Xavier expected and easily snatched the bolt out of the air. "Nice shot."

Buffy hastily reloaded her crossbow as the Master snapped the bolt in half with no effort. "You're not going to kill me with that thing."

"Don't be so sure," she snapped back, looking up, only to find him gone.

"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."

Xavier took the opportunity as Buffy continued to prowl the cavern, looking for the vampire. He approached her slowly. "Buffy…"

She ignored him, as if she didn't see him. "You know, for someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide."

"Buffy," Xavier tried again, resting a hand carefully on her shoulder. She spun suddenly, and Xavier found himself staring down at the very sharp tip of an arrow. He froze, not wanting that arrow to hit him.

"Who are you?" she snarled.

"A friend," Xavier began, only to see her eyes widen in surprise and fright.

For a moment, there was clarity and understanding in her eyes, as she reached out for him and gripped his arms tightly. "Help me."

Xavier nodded. "That's why I'm here, Buffy. Trust me, I'll get you out of this…"

He never got a chance to finish, as a dark shadow rushed in and forced him away from Buffy, breaking the connection. Suddenly, she turned and continued to hunt the Master.

"I want this moment to last," the Master's voice echoed around them.

"Well, I don't."

Xavier pulled himself to his feet, trying to get back to her. "Buffy, don't listen to him. Look at me. Focus on me."

Suddenly he was behind her. "I understand." As she turned, he knocked the crossbow out of her hands, grabbing her around the throat with one hand.

"Buffy, none of this is real!" Xavier called desperately, trying to get her to concentrate on something besides the nightmare. "Focus on my voice!"

She swung her arm upward, breaking his grip. Turning, a look of fear on her face, she ran towards Xavier, only to be stopped as the Master flung out his hand and something seized Buffy, stopping her in her tracks. He moved towards her, all fluid grace and sinister intent, stopping behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Buffy!" Xavier tried again.

The Master removed the leather jacket that Buffy was wearing. "You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything." He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, although Xavier still heard every word. "You're the one that sets me free! If you hadn't come, I couldn't go." Raising his head, he grinned, evilly. "Think about that."

There was true, undeniable fear on Buffy's face, and Xavier knew there was nothing he could do to help her. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Master leaned down and sank his fangs into her throat. He wasn't dealing with normal telepathy and the consequences of it. There was something much more powerful here, and he had no influence on it.

Buffy gasped as the Master released her, her face pale and her eyes vacant. "The power!" he crowed. As Buffy fell to her knees, he glanced down at her carelessly. "By the way, I like your dress."

Buffy fell forward, unconscious, into a pool of water, and Xavier found himself thrown backwards again.

He was falling…

* * *

Xavier opened his eyes, jolted sharply as his astral self was literally thrown back into his physical body. The world wavered in front of his eyes for a moment, as he mentally adjusted to the shock.

Remembering what he had just witnessed on the astral plane, he glanced swiftly at Buffy. There was a moment's stillness, and then she convulsed briefly, the indicators on her monitors spiking alarmingly, before dropping off and weakening further than they had been.

Xavier swore silently to himself. He had failed to bring her out of the coma, and she had gotten worse. Whatever held her trapped on the Astral Plane was stronger than he was, and he knew now he couldn't bring her out of the coma alone. He was running out of time. If he didn't bring her out of the coma soon, she would be brain dead, and then she would die. It was that simple.

_**Scott?**_

* * *

****

_Hospital Cafeteria_

Scott looked around at his cousin's friends. In the last hour they had made some progress in adjusting to the new circumstances surrounding Buffy's condition. Giles had pulled Scott aside as they left Buffy's room, mentioning that Buffy did not want her mother to know about her being the Slayer. Scott had understood, although he didn't agree, but if it was Buffy's wish that her mother not know her secret, Scott was not the one who would reveal it.

At the moment, Willow, Xander, and Angel were discussing some of Buffy's exploits, neatly camouflaging the truth from Joyce to make it sound like things happening with some of their classmates, rather than vampires. If he was right, they were, at the moment, discussing the unpopularity of a girl named Marcie, who had tried to attack a girl named Cordelia a few weeks ago.

_**Scott?**_

His attention was drawn from the story as he heard his mentor's telepathic call.

Angel regarded him with an intense stare. "Be careful if you go outside," was all the replied as the others went back to their conversation.

Scott nodded and headed for the door, moving down the hallway and pulling out his cell phone, glancing back to make sure the others weren't following him. The way behind him was clear, and he quickly headed back up to the ward where Buffy was.

Slipping quietly into the room, he approached Xavier and Buffy. Xavier looked up at him. "We don't have much time, Scott. Buffy is trapped, and something about this place, or the trauma that she has endured has warped the Astral Plane in unimaginable ways. A power stronger than I am has been unleashed on the Astral Plane, and it is determined to see your cousin dead."

"The Master?" Scott asked.

Xavier frowned as he considered that. "It is very possible. If a link formed between them when he drank from her to break down the barrier holding him prisoner…"

He trailed off as he considered the possibilities. "When Buffy killed him, if the link was strong enough, his spirit, his essence, might have been able to jump from his body to hers at the moment of his death. If he is as strong as I believe him to be, he would have easily been able to overwhelm Buffy, since she's had no training in protecting her thoughts from outside influences."

"Is that even possible, sir?"

"It is most likely to happen among telepaths," Xavier admitted.

"However, with the Hellmouth below us and sending out its mystical power, things that normally would not be possible suddenly become easier and much more likely," Giles said, as he entered the room with Willow, Xander, and Angel trailing behind him.

"Where's my Aunt?" Scott asked, wondering if all of their secrets were about to be revealed.

"She went to try to see if she could call your uncle. He's been out of contact since Buffy was hurt and she was going to try to contact him again, given what the doctors have said about her prognosis," Giles replied.

"The Hellmouth could be contributing to Buffy's condition?" Xavier asked, returning the conversation back to Giles' comment.

Giles nodded. "Indeed. A few weeks ago, there was an instance in which a Kiddie League coach beat a young boy after his team lost a game, and the boy was put into a coma. Somehow, the mystic energy of the Hellmouth allowed him to cross over from the Astral Plane, and to bring the Astral Plane with him. Reality almost collapsed completely into a nightmare realm because of Billy crossing over."

Scott looked shocked. "This is the type of thing Buffy has to deal with?"

Willow and Xander both nodded and chorused, "Oh yeah!"

Xavier's eyes were thoughtful as he considered the implications. "In a way, that makes sense. The Astral Plane is a world of metaphor, and the interpretation of the metaphor is what allows it to be understood."

Willow frowned slightly. "So someone who is trapped would appear on the Astral Plane in chains?"

Xavier nodded. "Exactly. The laws of this world do not apply to the Astral Plane, either, except in one way. If a person is hurt or killed on the Astral Plane, it translates into the physical realm."

Giles' eyes widened. "So when Buffy's vital signs went down…"

"It was because something on the Astral Plane hurt her," Xavier finished. "I believe that she is being forced to relive the events that led to the Master being set free over and over again. Each time he "kills" her there, she grows progressively weaker and it becomes much more difficult to bring her back to this realm."

"But she didn't die," Xander protested. "Angel and I were there, and I was able to revive her with CPR."

Xavier nodded. "True, but whatever power is keeping her trapped there is not allowing her to relive that part of what happened, so there is no one to bring her back."

Scott's jaw tightened. "What do we do, sir?"

Xavier steepled his fingers as he thought about it. "I can reach the Astral Plane, and I can get into Buffy's mind to see what she is seeing. There is no difficulty there. However, I do not have a connection with Buffy. She doesn't know me, and has no reason to trust me, and the Master, as I've already stated, is more powerful than I am."

Scott frowned at that admission. "But Professor, you're the most powerful telepath in the world!"

Xavier nodded. "So I thought as well. But whatever has imprisoned Buffy threw me out of her mind with little effort."

Willow appeared to be thinking hard. "Professor, could the Master, or whatever that thing is, be drawing on Buffy's own power to make itself more powerful?"

Everyone stared at the redhead, who blushed brighter than her hair. "We already know that the Hellmouth makes the demons and vampires more powerful when they're here, why couldn't Buffy's own Slayer powers do the same thing?"

Xavier contemplated that idea. "It makes sense. If the Master is stronger here because of the powers of this 'Hellmouth', that may have been what enabled him to leap to Buffy's mind, and once inside her mind, he may very well be strong enough to tap into her own powers and fuel himself more."

"In my experience with the Master, he never displayed any type of psychic gift, although he did know hypnotism," Angel volunteered quietly.

Giles stared at the vampire. "You've met the Master?"

Angel nodded. "About a hundred and fifty years ago, yes. Darla was one of his favorite Childer, and she took me to meet him once." He snorted. "Let's just say that I wasn't very impressed."

"Do vampires usually have psychic gifts?" Xavier asked, wanting to know everything he could about what he would be facing.

Angel looked thoughtful. "Normally, no. Well, other than our resistance to telepathy, but I think that is more of a standard for vampires than a psychic gift. As far as hypnotism goes, usually it's only the Master Vampires that have the knack for it."

"Master Vampires?" Scott asked.

Angel nodded. "Vampires over two centuries old, usually. I would be counted a Master Vampire; my sire Darla was a Master Vampire before I staked her, the Master certainly. There're more obviously, and the older you are, the more prestige you have among the vampire community."

"What about any other type of psychic gift? Hypnotism usually isn't considered one," Xavier pressed.

Reluctance showed on Angel's face. "It's unusual, but I have heard of a few cases. It seems to happen if a person had psychic gifts before they were turned. I've never heard of a case where a vampire developed psychic gifts after they were turned. But as far as the Master is concerned, he does not have any psychic gifts."

Xavier nodded. "As I mentioned, getting inside Buffy's mind is not the problem, but breaking her free of the Master is. Ultimately, she's going to have to choose to fight him, but she won't be able to do that until she's freed from the nightmare he's trapped her in."

"Is there anything we can do?" Giles asked.

Xavier thought about it. "Actually…yes." He turned to Xander. "I am correct in believing that it was you and Angel who saved Buffy by reviving her?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah. Angel got me to his lair, and I revived her."

Angel shrugged. "I don't have any breath. CPR isn't something that I can perform."

"Would you be willing to help me? I believe I have a plan," Xavier stated.

"Of course!" Xander exclaimed. "Buffy's my friend."

"What do you need me to do?" Angel asked.

"Angel, is there any way that you can let me into your mind?" Xavier asked.

Angel looked surprised. "I don't know. I've never tried."

"Would you object to allowing me to try?"

"Not at all," the vampire said. "What do you need me to do?"

"Relax your defenses. It's possible that you simply have very strong shields because you are a vampire, and they may be natural to you, not something you consciously created," Xavier instructed.

Angel nodded and closed his eyes, relaxing and waiting.

The Professor took a deep breath to center himself and cast his mind out towards Angel, seeking entrance into his thoughts. There was silence in the room as everyone waited to see what would come of this experiment. They weren't sure what Xavier had in mind, but if it gave them a chance to save Buffy, they were all willing to do whatever he deemed necessary.

Finally, after an interminable wait that had Xander fidgeting with impatience and Giles and Willow looking anxiously between the Professor, Angel, and Buffy's still form, the Professor opened his eyes. A moment later, so did Angel. Xavier looked at the vampire, and simply nodded, and Angel smiled, albeit weakly.

"Did it work?" Xander finally burst out.

Xavier nodded slowly. "It was difficult, but we did determine that a telepath can enter the mind of a vampire, if the vampire gives permission." He looked between the group members. "This is going to be a very difficult and very complex operation, and it is not without risk. Scott, Angel, and Xander, I'll need your help for my idea to work, if you're willing to take the risk." The three men simply nodded.

He looked over at Giles and Willow, his face apologetic. "I know you care for Buffy too, but I believe that they have the best chance of getting through to her, with my help. You two can help me best by keeping everyone out of this room while we work. An interruption could be fatal, for us or for Buffy, if it comes at the wrong time."

Giles nodded in understanding. "We'll do whatever you need us to."

"Good. Now, please, let me speak to Scott, Angel, and Xander alone. I need to explain what we will be doing, and then we will begin."

Giles and Willow left the room quietly, closing the door behind themselves. Xavier turned to his appointed helpers. "In order to make this work, this is what I need each of you to do…"

* * *

She moaned softly, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Help me. Please, someone help me."


	13. Fighting Back

**Author's Note: Just a reminder, folks. Scenes that are all in italics are scenes taking place on the Astral Plane!**

**Chapter Thirteen: **_**Fighting Back**_

Buffy's Room – Same time 

"Are you all clear on what we must do?" Xavier asked, mentally steeling himself for what he was about to attempt.

Scott nodded, years of trusting his mentor giving him faith that everything would work out for the best.

Angel and Xander looked at each other, mutual distrust playing across their faces for a moment before they both nodded and looked back to the Professor.

They had rearranged the furniture in Buffy's room temporarily. The hospital bed had been pulled out from the wall, far enough that Xavier could maneuver his wheelchair behind it without disturbing the monitoring equipment. Angel, Xander, and Scott were each seated in chairs, one on each side of the bed. Per Xavier's instructions, each of them was touching Buffy. Angel and Scott each touched one of Buffy's hands and Xander had placed a hand on Buffy's foot.

Xavier nodded as well. "Very well then." He looked at each of them, and one by one they all closed their eyes and relaxed. He had stressed that being relaxed was imperative for what he was about to attempt. It was only because telepathy was not an exact science and no one really knew the full limits of what could be done with it that was making this possible. Closing his own eyes, he reached out his thoughts to Angel, who sat on Buffy's right.

They had gone through this once before, and it had been difficult enough to establish a connection with the vampire's mind. Given what Xavier was planning, however, connecting with Angel paled in comparison to the difficulty of what he was going to try to do to save Buffy.

Several long moments later, and he felt the barriers into Angel's mind fall away. The vampire's astral self stood there, waiting for Xavier, who approached him. Stretching out with a mental "rope" he tethered Angel's psyche to his own, though the connection was tenuous and difficult to hold at best. There were just too many natural defenses in the vampire's mind to make this as easy as it would be if he were working with three humans.

Once he felt he had Angel connected to him, he moved on, stretching himself out to Xander with little difficulty. The young man had no mental shields whatsoever, leaving him terribly open to anyone with any type of psychic gift. _When this is over,_ Xavier resolved to himself, _I need to teach all of them how to guard their thoughts._

Trying to secure Xander's psyche to his own without disturbing the delicate bond between him and Angel provided its own challenge, but after one near miss where he almost lost the connection with the vampire, he had Xander connected to him. Ironically, the second connection helped to stabilize the one he had with Angel, although it was still much more tenuous than Xavier would have preferred.

Finally, he reached out to Scott. His protégé was waiting patiently for him, long years of trust and experience with the Professor's power giving him a level of comfort, faith, and trust that the other two did not have. Scott was quickly added to the blend, and the whole meld stabilized further.

Once all four of them were securely linked, Xavier took a moment to pause and collect himself. This was not easy, even for someone of his considerable power and skill, and it was only going to get more difficult from here.

It would be up to him to not only guide the four of them as they attempted to save Buffy, but he would have to protect them as well, because he knew the Astral Plane and its dangers and they did not. Reaching out, he placed his hands on Buffy's pillow, one hand on either side of her head, his fingers just above her temples but not touching her.

He checked the meld to make sure it was firm, and then cast himself back into Buffy's mind, pulling the others with him as he plunged towards the corner of Buffy's mind where she was imprisoned.

_It was darker than it had been previously. Something about the cavern seemed more sinister, darker, and there was an all-prevailing sense of evil that had not been there before. _

"Where are we?" Scott asked, looking around at the cave and the remains of the church that it had once held. His hand was on his visor, out of instinct, but Xavier knew that his powers wouldn't work here. The laws of the physical world did not apply here, and the only mutant abilities that functioned in this realm were those of the psychic variety.

Xavier studied the scene, making a note of all of the changes that had occured in such a short time since he had made his own attempt at saving Buffy. The biggest difference was their presence, but now, after being here once before, Xavier could sense the Master's spirit more clearly, although he couldn't see it. What he could see clearly, however, were the golden threads linking himself to Scott, Angel, and Xander.

The links between himself and Scott and Xander glowed brightly. The link between himself and Angel, however, was by far the weakest, and it glowed dimly and flickered in and out of his 'sight' as the vampire's natural defenses aimed to sever the link between them. Even Angel's natural defenses were no match for Xavier's power, and Xavier refused to let the link break.

"This is the Master's lair. This is where Buffy fought him and he drowned her," Angel said, his voice like a low growl. Xavier glanced over at him, noting that the vampire was having difficulty restraining himself. His eyes flashed golden for the briefest moments, before shifting back to brown, and then flashing gold again.

"Where is she?" Xander wondered. "If this is her mind, where is she?" He looked over at Xavier and his eyes widened. "Hey, you're walking!"

Xavier nodded. "The laws of reality don't apply here, Xander. You're seeing my astral self, and my astral self does not suffer from my paralysis the way my physical body does."

_**Welcome.**_

The voice came from everywhere at once. Xavier recognized it as the voice of the Master. The other three tensed at once, and Angel growled low in his throat.

Suddenly, Buffy stood in front of them again, wearing her prom dress and leather jacket and holding a crossbow. "Thanks for having me," she quipped as she looked carefully around the cavern, her eyes passing sightlessly over Xavier and the others.

"Buffy!" Xander called, trying to draw her attention.

Xavier stopped him with a hand on his arm. "No, Xander. Let it play out."

Scott's gaze snapped to his mentor. "We have to watch this creature attack my cousin?"

Xavier nodded. "Trust me, Scott. I've witnessed this before, and I know what to do. We have to let it play out."

"You know," Buffy continued as Scott looked unhappily at Xavier and simply nodded. "You really should talk to your contractor. It looks like you have some water damage."

The Master stepped out of the shadows near the altar. "Oh goody, the feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the – "

Buffy spun to face him and tightened her finger on the trigger of the crossbow, launching the bolt into the air. It sailed across the expanse, looking as though it was going to be a direct hit. As before, however, the Master reached up and, with lightning reflexes caught the bolt inches before it impacted with his chest. "Nice shot."

Buffy quickly began to reload the crossbow as the Master snapped the bolt in half. "You're not going to kill me with that thing."

"Don't be too sure," Buffy snapped as she raised the loaded crossbow again. The Master was gone, however.

"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb," his voice echoed from all over the cavern.

Scott moved a step closer to his cousin as she began to prowl through the cavern. "Buffy…"

Xavier shook his head, again intercepting the young man. "I know it's hard, Scott, but you have to let this play out. Buffy's life depends on it."

"But last time it played out, you couldn't stop it, sir. How are we supposed to stop him from killing her? We don't have time to keep trying over and over again," Scott protested.

"You have to trust me, Scott. I wasn't prepared for the power the Master commands and he caught me by surprise. This time, I know what to expect," Xavier said, his voice firm. "There's a reason I chose each of you for this, and you will each have a part to play, but not yet."

Even as he spoke, Xavier was pulling on the links between the four of them, strengthening them as much as possible. He fully expected that the Master wouldn't simply allow them to free Buffy, and he had to make sure that the links would be strong enough to hold if he ended up having to fight to protect the other three.

Scott sighed and tracked his cousin with his eyes as she stalked through the cave, searching for the Master. "You know, for someone who's all-powerful, you sure do like to hide," she complained, her hands tightening on her crossbow, her unease and just a hint of fear playing across her face as she hunted.

"I want this moment to last," the Master said, although he still didn't reveal himself.

"Yeah? Well, I don't," she muttered.

Suddenly he was behind her. "I understand." As she turned, he knocked the crossbow out of her hands, grabbing her around the throat with one hand.

Scott surged forward, only to be grabbed by Angel, who held him back easily. "Not yet!"

Buffy wasn't giving up yet, though. She swung her arm upward, breaking his grip, almost catching him across the face with the crossbow. Turning, a look of utter fear on her face, she ran, unknowingly, towards where her cousin stood, only to be stopped as the Master flung out his hand and something seized Buffy, stopping her in her tracks.

"No! Buffy!" Scott yelled, but his words fell on deaf ears as he struggled with Angel.

The Master moved towards her, all fluid grace and sinister intent, stopping behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. The Master removed the leather jacket that Buffy was wearing. "You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything." He leaned closer and, as before, whispered in her ear, "You're the one that sets me free! If you hadn't come, I couldn't go." Raising his head, he grinned, evilly. "Think about that."

There was true, undeniable fear on Buffy's face as the Master leaned closer, his fangs bared as he prepared to plunge them into her throat, his burning eyes mad with hunger and blood-lust. Then, he sank his fangs into her throat, and Buffy stiffened in agony, her eyes wide and her breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps as the Master drank.

"Buffy!" Scott cried, tears choking his voice as he fought Angel's hold on him. The vampire held him firmly, however, though his face was turned away from the sight of the Master feeding from the woman he loved.

Xander swallowed hard, but stood firm. Xavier tensed, ready. "Listen to me. In a moment, I'm going to have to force the vision to continue. Whatever you do, stay with it. We may be attacked, I don't know. I don't know exactly what the Master is capable of. Ignore everything else that you might see, and focus on Buffy." He met each of their eyes in turn, and received a nod from each of them.

Buffy gasped as the Master released her, her face pale and her eyes vacant. "The power!" he crowed. As Buffy fell to her knees, he glanced down at her carelessly. "By the way, I like your dress."

Buffy fell forward, unconscious, into a pool of water, and Xavier found himself thrown backwards again, only this time he was ready and pushed back with all the strength in his mind, the majority of the power going towards keeping the vision going, while a small corner of his mind clung to the links with Angel, Scott, and Xander.

The vision warped and began to dim, as the Master's power, fueled by a source Xavier had no idea existed until a few hours ago, started to overwhelm his overtaxed powers. Xavier gritted his teeth and hung on with all his strength, not allowing the Master to gain the upper hand.

Fortunately it seemed to be working, because the vision was continuing. The Master stalked to a specific point near the slope that led down to this cavern and looked into nothingness. Reaching out his hand, an invisible barrier rippled when he touched it, and then exploded in a burst of light and power as his hand was thrust through, breaking the barrier with the power he had taken from Buffy's blood. The breaking of the barrier only added to the distortion of the view as the Master disappeared.

Another surge of power lashed at the group of men that had come to rescue Buffy, this time aiming to sever the link keeping them there. Malicious anger and hatred was behind the attack, and it focused on Xavier, because without him, the others would not be able to remain on the Astral plane. It was only his power keeping them there.

Xander cried out as the link between he and the Professor was almost severed. For a moment he flickered out of sight, and then reappeared as the thread connecting him to Xavier was assaulted. Dark shades, manifestations of the Master's malevolence were attacking Scott and Angel, who were trying to fight back, but without being psychic themselves, they couldn't combat the shades trying to throw them out of the link.

"No!" Xavier managed to get out as he pushed back again. He was losing this fight, but he was not going to give up. Out of sheer desperation, he dropped every mental shield that he had erected in his own mind, save the one that surrounded and protected the core of his being, taking the power he gained from those shields and hurling powerful blasts back at the shades. It seemed to work, as the shades vanished under the onslaught of the mental bolts.

The price of dropping his shields, however, almost made the decision not worth it. Xavier screamed in pain as the barrier that he had erected in his mind to hold back the pain of his crushed legs and shattered spine fell as well. The pain was intense as it fully washed over him for the first time in a long time. As he fought through the pain, he almost lost control of the tenuous links keeping Angel, Scott, and Xander on the astral plane. He fell to his knees as he tried to resist the pain.

With all his remaining strength, he seized control of the links again, holding them firm and pushing the pain to the back of his mind. It wasn't as easy to ignore it as when he kept it imprisoned behind his mental walls, but he would endure the pain if it saved Buffy.

"Xander, go…save Buffy," he gritted out between his teeth. "Bring her back."

Xander looked at the older man. "How? What do I do?"

"You brought her back once…do it again. She has been weakening because she doesn't have anyone to pull her back. You did it before, you have to do it again." Xavier managed, struggling to keep the link strong. For the moment, it seemed that they were not going to be attacked, but Xavier had used most of his strength repelling the assault on their minds. He couldn't do it again and hope to hold on to the other three. They had to save Buffy now, _or she wouldn't be saved. It was that simple. He wouldn't have the strength to do this again until it was too late for the Slayer. _

Angel had caught on to what Xavier wanted first, and ran towards the fallen Slayer, pulling her out of the water and laying her on her back, brushing her hair away from her mouth. Xander knelt beside him and began the CPR as Angel watched.

Scott looked torn between helping his cousin and his mentor, who was struggling to stay upright. Finally, knowing that Xander had to do this, he went to Xavier's side, pulling him to his feet. Carefully, he guided the older man over to where Xander was trying to bring Buffy back.

Angel looked up at Xavier as Scott lowered him down next to them. "Professor, there's one thing I don't understand. If the laws of the physical world don't apply here, how will Xander performing CPR bring Buffy back and allow us to save her here?"

"The Astral plane is metaphorical, Angel," Xavier managed, his eyes betraying his exhaustion as he held on to the link with all his remaining strength. "But, since the Master was forcing Buffy to live through the exact events that led to her 'death' again and again, in order to break the chain and stop it from starting all over again, we have to continue the exact same events. Xander brought her back once, he has to do it again."

He sensed that something was about to change. The Master's malevolence was pushed away from them somewhat, easing the pressure on Xavier and giving him a chance to gather and assess his remaining strength. It wasn't over, however. Xavier could feel the Master lurking, waiting for the moment to strike. He looked at the three men who were risking their lives and their sanity to help someone that they loved. Only together could they hope to save the Slayer.

Making up his mind, he tapped into the last bit of unexpended strength that he had, and drew some of the power away from the links he held with the four of them, watching as the threads' glow dimmed slightly. Taking the gathered power, he subtly reached out to each of the other three and linked them to each other. Scott to Angel and Xander, Angel to Xander and Scott, and Xander to Scott and Angel. Three new threads shimmered into existance, although they glowed dully compared to the links he still held with all three of them.

He hesitated for a moment, before reaching out again to the vampire. He pulled more of the power away from the link he had with Angel, so that it was barely in existance. He left only enough power between himself and Angel to keep the vampire's mind on the Astral Plane with them. The he turned to the still, quiet form of Buffy and reached out to her, connecting with her mind and redirected the last of the power he had taken from the link with Angel to her, creating one more link between the Slayer and the vampire.

It was ironic, that a mental link had formed between the vampire slayer and one of the creatures she was destined to destroy, but in some way, it felt right.

Just then, Buffy gasped and began to cough, spitting up water as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Buffy?" Scott asked, leaving his mentor's side and going to his cousin. He knelt down next to her and reached out to stroke her wet, bedraggled hair.

Buffy gazed up at him, and her eyes widened in recognition. "Scott?"

Before the mutant could answer, the cavern trembled and began to phase out of sight. Buffy suddenly vanished, and Scott gasped. "Buffy! No!"

Xander covered his head as if he expected the cavern to come down around them. "What's happening?"

Xavier was almost too weary to answer, but he managed it. "We broke Buffy free of the vision."

_**Yes, you did. You ruined everything!**__ the Master said, appearing behind Xavier. _

"Professor!" Scott cried in alarm as the Master seized Xavier around the throat and pulled him upright.

_**I had her! She was mine, mine to torment as often as I wanted! I was to be her bane, driving her mad until she died!**__ He shook the Professor, hard. __**You ruined it!**_

Scott was on his feet, his hand going instinctively to his glasses, as Angel snarled and allowed his demonic face to show and Xander climbed to his feet, ready to back the others, even though he didn't have a weapon.

_**These have no power. You brought them here, and you orchestrated this! For that you will pay!**__ the Master snarled, his eyes burning with hate and rage. _

Xavier stared calmly, if wearily into the Master's eyes. "I would do it again." Gathering what remained of his strength, he pulled the links between himself and the others closer. He had one last gambit in mind, but he was only going to get one chance at this…

The Master roared in anger and pulled back, his fangs bared.

"No! Professor!" Scott screamed, lunging forward.

He was too late. The Master's fangs sank into Xavier's throat. 


	14. And you are in my mind why

**Chapter Fourteen: **_**"And you're in my mind…**_**why**_**?"**_

To an outside observer, the arrangement of people, furniture, and monitoring equipment provided a very strange tableau. Buffy lay still and silent in her bed, her chest rising and falling weakly, but steadily. All around her, Scott, Angel, Xander, and Xavier sat, equally quiet and still, their breathing (save for Angel) deep and even as each of them rested a hand on Buffy's silent form.

Suddenly, without any warning, all five figures jerked as if they'd been electrocuted. There was a brief series of spasms, and then everything was quiet again.

With a few differences…

Buffy's breathing had suddenly strengthened and become more even. It was nowhere near normal, but it was closer than it had been in the last week. Scott, Angel, and Xander remained in their previous positions, their hands still lying on Buffy's arms and foot as they had been before the strange surge that had gone through them.

Professor Xavier, however, had fallen forward, his smooth, bald head coming to rest on the pillow, inches from Buffy's face. His entire body was limp and his breathing was ragged and uneven.

And there was silence again.

* * *

"Professor?" he called, his voice coming out in a strangled croak. Clearing his throat, (although why his voice should be hoarse when he was not in a physical realm wasn't something he completely understood) he tried again. "Professor Xavier?"

There was no answer. "Angel? Xander? Buffy?" he called, looking around again.

For a moment he thought that he was alone, and then he saw Angel and Xander, lying close to him. Both of them had opened their eyes and were trying to get to their feet. Rising slowly himself, he went to Xander's side and pulled the dazed boy up.

Angel rose as well, looking around. "Where are we?"

Scott shook his head. "I'm not sure. Where's Professor X?"

Angel continued to look around the whiteness. "I don't see him."

Xander raised a hand. "Ummm…wasn't he killed by the Master? Would he be here if he had died?"

"He's not dead!" Scott whirled on the younger man, his eyes (literally) flashing behind his glasses. "I would know it if he was dead!"

"Sorry to tell you this, but generally, you don't survive a vampire bite!" Xander snapped.

"He is NOT dead!"

Angel shook his head and stepped over towards Xander. "Scott, I hate to say this, but Xander's right. You don't live through a vampire bite unless the vampire wants you to live. If the Professor were still alive, he should be here."

Scott jerked like he had been struck. Pulling back his arm, he reached out and decked Angel, who despite his reflexes, didn't have a chance to move or block the strike before Scott's fist impacted his jaw.

Angel grumbled, moving his jaw to check if anything was broken. "Ow." He looked up. "Not a bad punch, I'll grant you, but what the hell was that for?"

"Professor Xavier is not dead. I've known him too long. He is not dead," Scott answered fiercely. "I don't care what you know about vampires or death, he is not dead!"

"Fine," Angel said, trying to keep the peace. "He's not dead." But Scott and Xander could both tell from his tone that the vampire didn't really believe it, but was saying it to appease Scott.

Fortunately, it worked, for the time being at least.

"So what now?" Xander asked, turning in a circle, as if looking for landmarks of some kind.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know where we are, or what we're doing here. If this is the Astral Plane, the Professor has to be here somewhere. None of us are psychic, we can't be on the Astral Plane if there isn't a telepath with us."

"What about Buffy?" Angel pointed out. "She wasn't psychic, but she got stuck on the Astral Plane."

Scott shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it was a side effect of the Master's power, or this 'Hellmouth', or her own powers." He shrugged again. "I don't really know anything about the Astral Plane, despite the fact that Professor Xavier and my girlfriend are both telepaths."

Xander looked interested. "Your girlfriend's telepathic? How do you ever keep anything secret from her?"

Scott smiled absently. "I generally don't have secrets from Jean, but she wouldn't read my mind without permission anyway. Telepathy's not even her strongest power. Her real strength is her telekinesis."

"Getting back on topic…" Angel pointed out. "We need to figure out what's going on, find the Professor, and rescue Buffy."

Scott was thinking. "Just before that thing appeared…didn't Professor X say something about us having broken Buffy free of the vision?"

Angel nodded. "Yes. And I think he said something about Buffy having to be the one to fight the Master; that all we could do was help, but she had to make the decision to fight."

"So she should be here, somewhere. If she fought him, shouldn't we have woken up by now?" Xander asked.

Angel was looking off into the distance, a strange, vacant look on his face. "I think…I think she's this way." He took a couple of steps away, although Scott and Xander couldn't see where he was headed, since there were no landmarks of any kind.

"Uh, Angel, you didn't feed on anybody high on PCP tonight, did you?" Xander asked.

Angel shot him an irritated look. "I don't feed on people anymore."

"Just checking."

Angel looked back ahead of him. "I can't explain it, but I sense her. This way." Setting off, he headed into the whiteness.

Scott and Xander exchanged a look, and then shrugged and followed the vampire.

* * *

Giles turned another page in his book, looking over spells and mystical causes that could trap a person on the Astral Plane. If Professor Xavier was wrong about his theory, maybe there was a solution in here, now that he knew what he was looking for.

Willow, who was looking through a book herself, finally put the book down and sighed. "What's taking so long? They've been in there for almost an hour."

Giles looked up. "We don't know what Professor Xavier was planning, Willow. It may be very complex. Frankly, I'm more concerned about what's keeping Joyce...er, Mrs. Summers, I mean."

"Long distance phone call," Willow pointed out.

Giles nodded, but frowned. "Still…" he put his book down. "Keep looking, Willow. I'm going to go and find her."

"Be careful, Giles."

The Watcher smiled down at her. "I will."

* * *

"There she is," Angel said, pointing ahead of him.

Scott and Xander quickly moved to stand beside the vampire. Huddled on the "ground" with her face buried in her knees, her arms wrapped over her head, was Buffy. She shuddered. "No, please. Go away. Not again. Can't do it again. Go away, go away."

Angel took several steps towards her and knelt down next to her. Reaching out he touched her arm. "Buffy."

She only whimpered and tried to pull herself tighter into a ball. "No. Go away."

"Buffy, it's Angel. You're safe now," the vampire tried again.

"No, not real. Go away. Not again."

Scott approached Angel, but instead of kneeling down, pulled the vampire back. "Let me try. I think I know what to do."

The vampire stood and backed off. Scott took a deep breath and knelt down, but stayed several feet away from his cousin, not touching her and trying not to make himself seem like a threat. His cousin had been through hell recently, and if he wasn't careful, he could scar her forever.

He sat quietly for several minutes, just watching the sad, pathetic form of his cousin. This wasn't his Buffy. His Buffy was vibrant, and strong, with a quirky sense of humor, a peppy attitude, and lightness about her as she floated through life.

Fortunately, this wasn't the first time that Scott had needed to deal with a frightened, traumatized teenager. Being a teacher at a school for mutants, when the rest of the world hated you and persecuted you for being different…well, he'd soothed many a child through horrendous nightmares and coaxed others that had come to Professor Xavier to speak again. This was just the first time it had been someone he loved.

Buffy continued to tremble for several minutes, sensing Scott's presence and fearing what he was going to do to her. Finally, when the horror and trauma she was expecting didn't come, her shudders began to slow and subside, although she kept her face hidden.

"Buffy. Will you look at me?" Scott broke the silence, his voice soft, gentle, and soothing.

Buffy shook her head and pulled herself tighter, although she didn't start shaking again. That was progress at least.

Scott looked around warily. He had to get through to her. He didn't know how long the Master would leave her alone, and without Professor Xavier, they were all helpless. "Buffy, it's Scott. Do you remember me, Squirt?"

"Not real."

Scott's voice was firm, but gentle. "I'm real, Buffy. I'm really here. Do you remember the summer when Alex and you and I went to Disneyland and Alex threw up after riding Space Mountain? He was so embarrassed, and we teased him about it the rest of the day?"

He continued to talk, reminding Buffy of funny times that they had shared, mentioning different things that she had told him in her emails and on the phone, keeping a running dialogue, trying to help her remember.

Buffy sat there, listening. Slowly her muttering stopped as she listened to the soft, gentle voice. No one knew all of those things about her and her cousins. Sure, she hadn't seen Alex since she was six, but Scott…

She lowered her hands from around her head, keeping her face hidden in her knees as she listened.

Scott stopped talking. "Buffy. It's Scott. Come on Squirt, let me see your eyes."

He held his breath, hoping he had succeeded. Slowly, ever so slowly, Buffy raised her head and looked at him. Her green eyes reflected her fear and the pain and trauma she had suffered. There was no flicker of recognition in her eyes and Scott inwardly winced at the haunted, fearful expression on her face. "There you go. That's my Buffster."

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice hollow and wary.

His heart sank. "Scott. Your cousin, Scott. Buffy, it's me. You emailed me a few days ago, remember? Said we needed to get together this summer? I decided to come down and see you instead."

"Scott doesn't wear glasses," was the quiet response.

He froze. Of course, she had never seen him with his glasses on. He hadn't sent her any recent pictures of himself, and the last time she had seen him, his mutant powers hadn't emerged. He took a deep breath. He hadn't deliberately removed his glasses for almost eight years.

Reaching up, cautiously, his hand brushed the frames of his glasses, his fingers tightening on them. He sent up a quick prayer. If this didn't work…

In one swift movement, he pulled off his glasses, his eyes snapping shut in anticipation of the optic beams lancing out of his eyes and killing his cousin.

Buffy stared at the man kneeling in front of her. Without the glasses…he did bear some resemblance to her cousin in the last picture she'd seen of him. But to be sure… "Scott? Open your eyes." He didn't respond. "Please?"

At the pleading, anxious, frightened voice, Scott steeled himself. He had to do this…for Buffy's sake. Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking at the whiteness washed over him. Eight years of seeing only in shades of red had caused him to forget what most colors looked like. He was both legally and, for all intents and purposes, color blind because of his glasses and his mutation. If it wasn't for the fact that he organized everything to the point of being obsessive, he wouldn't even be able to pick out coordinating outfits each day!

Buffy stared into the soft brown eyes that stared back at her. The man looked uncertain, afraid, and a little overwhelmed. "Scott?" It was him. She knew those eyes. They had smiled down at her when she was a little girl and he helped her mom put her to bed at night. They had lit up with laughter when he teased her or his brother Alex. They had been filled with a haunting sadness when his parents died and his brother was lost in the foster care system, even when he had been pulled out by her mom when word had reached them of the accident.

"Scott? It's you?" Her heart leapt. "It's really you?"

Scott nodded. "It's me, Squirt."

"Oh Scott!" With that, Buffy launched herself forward, and Scott flung open his arms to catch her as she fell into his embrace and began to sob into his shoulder. He tightened his grasp on her and she only cried harder. "Sc-cott…he…he hurt me. I…I…d-d-died."

"I know Squirt. I know all about it," he soothed her. "Giles and Angel told me everything. Ssh…it's okay." He rocked her and rubbed her back as she cried. While his face was calm and composed, inside his heart was breaking at what his little cousin had been forced to endure. It wasn't fair. But really, when was life ever fair? He had not asked to be a mutant, and Buffy certainly hadn't asked to become the Slayer. She should be enjoying her high school years, anticipating going to college, and studying something safe like fashion, not having to fight for her life every single night and worrying about an evil monster that had been out for her blood since her first day at Sunnydale High.

Finally, Buffy stopped crying, although she still clung to him. Scott looked around again, his worry spiking. They'd been alone too long. They wouldn't be alone much longer. He looked at the top of his cousin's head. "Buffy, are you all right now?"

She shrugged, keeping her face buried in his shoulder.

"Buffy, listen to me. We need your help. The Master is still out there, and he's still out to hurt you again. You need to fight him."

She shook her head hard, and clung to him tighter. He firmly pushed her away. Now was not the time to coddle her. Now was the time to force her to stand up to the monster that had hurt her and trapped her here. There would be time enough later to talk to her, comfort her, and tell her his secrets. "Buffy, get on your feet. You beat him once, you can beat him again. We'll all be trapped here if you don't fight him and finish this once and for all."

She looked up at him her wide green eyes frightened and lost. "Scott…"

"No Buffy. Get up." He suited words to action, putting his glasses back on and rising to his own feet, taking on the mantle of Cyclopes, leader of the X-Men. No matter how much he wanted to simply hold her until her fear vanished, now he needed to bring the Slayer forth. "You are the Slayer. Now it's time to slay."

She cringed away from him, and he leaned down and grabbed her arm. He hauled her to her feet. "Scott please…no, I can't face him again. No, no…" Her eyes went vacant and Scott could tell he was losing her. Looking over his shoulder at Angel and Xander, he beckoned them forward.

Angel stepped forward and held out his arms. "Buffy. It's Angel. Come here." He stepped closer, and Buffy froze as she looked at him. In that instant, Scott received a flash of insight and he could feel how much the vampire loved his cousin. No matter what he said about them simply being friends, Scott knew that Angel loved Buffy, the same way he loved Jean. It was like they were two halves of the same whole.

Buffy stood there, looking uncertainly between Angel and Xander, before she rushed to Angel, who wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her hair and murmured something too quietly for Scott to hear as he rocked her gently. Xander approached and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We need you, Buffy. Help us."

Buffy finally broke free of Angel's embrace and turned away from all of them, her head hanging, her shoulders heaving as she took several deep, shuddering breaths. A moment later, she turned around again and looked at the three of them.

Scott laughed out loud. That was his favorite cousin, showing her spark and her wit again. "We're here to save you, Squirt. As usual, I have to pull you out of trouble, like that time at the beach."

"Says the one who needed my advice in how to avoid getting caught when you wanted to drop water balloons on your teacher," Buffy retorted.

Scott groaned, remembering that humiliation all too well. "I know all your dark secrets, Squirt. Don't push your luck."

Buffy tossed her head smartly, and walked up to him, slapping him on the arm, gently, so that she wouldn't hurt him with her Slayer strength. "Let's get this done."

She stepped several paces away from her would-be rescuers and yelled out into the expanse. "Hey, Bat-face! You wanted me so bad, come and get me!"

* * *

Giles quietly stuck his head in the door to Buffy's hospital room, wondering what was taking so long. He was careful to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to disturb whatever ritual Professor Xavier was attempting.

He took in the scene in front of him carefully. Angel, Xander, and Scott were all sitting upright, their eyes closed, although he could see their eyes moving under their eyelids, as if they were in a very deep REM sleep. He looked over towards Xavier, only to realize that something must have gone wrong. The older man was slumped over, his head resting inches from Buffy's face, his breathing shallow and labored, his skin paler than Angel's.

Stepping quickly and carefully over to Buffy's bedside, Giles reached out and rested his hand on Xavier's throat, seeking a pulse. After a long moment, he found it, but it was weak and thready. The Watcher swallowed. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't call the doctors in here, or the fragile balance of whatever Xavier was attempting would be shattered and Buffy would be lost. But if he did nothing, Xavier could very well die.

"Giles?" Willow called softly, poking her own head into the room. "Mrs. Summers is coming back…" her eyes landed on Xavier's inert form as she gasped. "What happened?"

Giles shook his head. "Willow, go back out and sit with Buffy's mother. Whatever you do, don't let her into this room. We've got to give Professor Xavier's plan time to work, or Buffy will never return to us, and Scott, Angel, and Xander will most likely be lost as well."

Willow squeaked in alarm, but nodded and closed the door behind herself. Giles moved quickly and pulled a small table in front of the door to block it, and then hovered around the small group, wishing that he knew what to do. He simply didn't know enough about telepathy and the Astral Plane to have any idea what he should do.

_Please hurry, Professor._

* * *

_**I do believe I will**_

One moment, there was only whiteness in front of Buffy, and in the next moment, he was there, darkness clinging to him and blotting out the light. His disfigured face was twisted in rage as he stared at the petite Slayer and her friends.

Buffy placed a hand on her chin, as if thinking. "Hmmm, let's see…I think not. I think you're about to get your metaphysical ass kicked once and for all!" With that, she lunged forward, her hand snapping up to feint a punch as she twisted her body, bringing her leg up and around in a vicious kick, which caught the Master across the face.

Xander sidled up to Angel and Scott. "Did Buffy really just use the word metaphysical?"

Scott looked between his cousin and her friend. "I think so."

Xander chuckled. "Remind me to tell Giles about that one. He'll be so happy she's finally starting to pay attention to him."

The Master had recovered from Buffy's attack, and had launched one of his own, catching her across the face with a vicious punch, which Buffy shrugged off before retaliating.

Chambering her right leg up, Buffy pivoted, snapping her leg forward and up in an arching roundhouse kick that went up over her head and impacted the Master's head. Pulling her leg in and regaining her balance, she thrust her leg out behind her and landed a back kick squarely in his chest.

The Master just shook the blows off as if they were nothing and grabbed her arm, twisting it and pulling her close while she was still off balance from the back kick.

Buffy stumbled towards him, but recovered quickly, moving with the pull on her arm and managing to flip him forward, over her shoulder, freeing her arm and dropping him. Raising her foot, she stomped down, aiming to break the vampire's knee, but he rolled out of the way, before jumping back to his feet.

The fight went back and forth between the combatants for some time, each of them taking vicious blows, but each of them giving back as good as they got, neither of them able to gain the upper hand.

Angel took a step forward, intending to help the woman he loved, but just as the vampire had stopped him once before, now it was Scott's turn to reach out and pull the vampire back. "No, Angel. Buffy has to do this alone. This is her mind, and her fight. She has to win on her own. We helped give her the strength to fight, but now she must fight using her own strength."

Angel stepped back, although he still obviously wanted to go and add his own blows to the fight.

Buffy ducked a roundhouse punch that would have broken her jaw, and lashed out with a punch to the Master's midsection, doubling him over and bringing his face in range of her knee. Bringing her leg up sharply, she caught him right in the nose. "Why won't you just die already!" she cried in frustration as the Master staggered back and she stalked him, fully intent on ending this fight once and for all.

Buffy looked at her cousin, meeting his gaze, although his eyes were again hidden behind his strange, red-tinted glasses and she nodded. Bringing her head forward, she suddenly slammed it back, nailing the Master in the nose again and forcing him to release her.

"And that's what you haven't learned. My mind, my rules. And I've just created a new rule," Buffy replied, holding out her hand. A moment later, a stake materialized in her hand, created by Buffy's own will. "The new rule is this. You are dead." Lunging forward, she slammed the stake home in the Master's chest.

He screamed and all the darkness that was invading the whiteness of Buffy's mind vanished, drawn back into him as he exploded into dust.

Buffy stood there, her chest heaving with exertion. "And don't ever come back," she murmured quietly. She stared at the small pile of ash in front of her and willed it to vanish. After a moment, there was no trace of the Master. Her chest heaving in exhaustion, she collapsed to her knees.

Scott walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did it, Buffy. You're free of him."

Buffy nodded slowly. Looking around the utter whiteness, she sighed. "He hurt me so much, Scott."

Scott nodded in understanding. "What do you say we put things to right before we go home?"

Buffy looked up at him, not comprehending. "How?"

Scott smiled. "Trust me, Buffy." He thought for a moment, probing his memories for all the things the Professor and Jean had ever told him about the Astral Plane and the power of telepathy. It wasn't much, but he had some idea of where to begin, at least. "Close your eyes, and picture a home. Quiet, clean, with everything neatly in its place."

Buffy did as she was told and a moment later, the whiteness began to fade, the landscape changing to reveal a large, well appointed room filled with doors. The walls were blank and empty, and there was an echo of sadness in the room, as if something had been damaged beyond repair. Finally, the whiteness was gone, and Buffy opened her eyes, looking around.

Scott looked around as well. "That'll do for now, Buffy. It will take time for you to heal completely." He knelt in front of her. "Take us home, Buffy."

Buffy stared at him for a long moment. "What do I do?"

"It's your mind Buffy. You only need to will yourself back in the real world and picture taking us with you," Scott replied, placing a hand on Buffy's cheek as Angel and Xander approached the two of them.

Angel looked at the changed landscape and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you weren't a psychic."

Scott stood. "I'm not. But when your mentor is the most powerful telepath in the world, and your girlfriend is also a telepath…you pick up some rather obscure knowledge."

Angel considered that and nodded. "Let's go, Buffy. We'll be waiting for you when you wake."


	15. Aftermath

**Author's Note: **

**Chapter Fifteen: **_**Aftermath**_

Scott blinked his eyes as the world around him slowly came back into focus. His head was absolutely pounding, and for a moment, his vision wavered. Then it stabilized and everything was awash in shades of red, as it had been ever since his powers had manifested.

Looking around, he saw that Angel and Xander were both coming out of it as well, and they looked as though they knew exactly what he was feeling right now. He quickly glanced down at Buffy and smiled as he saw her intense eyes blinking sleepily up at him. "Buffy?"

"Scott?" she murmured. "It was real, then? You were really there?"

Scott squeezed her hand gently. "I was really there. I'll always be there when you need me, little cousin."

Buffy's sleepy expression morphed into a soft smile of contentment. Looking past Scott, her eyes locked on Xander, and she grinned. "Saved me again, huh, Xand?"

Xander shrugged self-effacingly. "What can I say, Buff? You're my friend." He smirked. "Besides, how many people can say that they got to save the Sla…?"

"Don't let it go to your head, Xander," she cautioned him in mock seriousness, keeping him from revealing her identity. After that, her eyes drifted over to Angel, who was smiling down at her with an expression of pure relief on his face.

Before he could say anything though, Buffy beat him to it. "I'm sorry, Angel, about what I said…"

"It's forgotten."

That was all he said, but from the stoic vampire, it was enough and Buffy knew it. She squeezed his hand, and received a return squeeze before Angel stood. Unexpectedly he wobbled on his feet, unsteady, but managed to catch himself.

Scott looked up at the vampire. "You probably want to rest, Angel. I've seen Jean and the Professor do this before and they're both usually wiped out afterwards. It takes a lot of strength, even for Professor Xavier…" he trailed off and suddenly sat up straighter. "Professor!" He looked quickly towards the head of the bed, but Xavier was gone.

Ignoring his own warnings, Scott shot to his feet, not caring that he swayed unsteadily for a moment. He'd been the recipient of enough attacks by various psychic mutants over the years that he could function despite the dizziness. Where was Xavier? He had been seated in his wheelchair at the head of the bed when they had started, and even if he had vanished in the Astral Plane, his physical body could not simply vanish as well! But there was no trace of his mentor.

"Scott?" Buffy asked, pushing herself up onto her elbows, despite the weakness she could feel in her muscles. "What's wrong?"

Before Scott could panic any further, the door into Buffy's hospital room opened and Giles entered, quietly. He froze as he took in the sight, which had changed since he had stepped out of the room only a few minutes ago. Scott was on his feet, looking frantic and worried, Angel was on his feet, obviously unsteady, Xander was sitting down although he looked like he was about to stand up and help Scott, and Buffy…

_Buffy…_

Giles couldn't believe his eyes for a moment, despite what they were telling him. Buffy was awake, her green eyes looking between her cousin and himself as she propped herself up on her elbows, her arms trembling with the strain of holding herself up. She looked exhausted and a little worse for wear, but otherwise, she seemed fine.

"Buffy?" he breathed, quietly.

"Giles?" Buffy replied, gazing at her Watcher. "What is going on?"

"Oh, Buffy," Giles replied, not bothering to answer her question as he moved swiftly to her side, picking up her hand and squeezing in tightly as he took a seat on the edge of the bed, next to Angel, who had managed to regain most of his equilibrium. He leaned down and hugged her tightly, not caring about propriety or personal space. He was too relieved to see her alive, awake, and aware of what was going on. "We were so worried about you!"

"Ugh…Giles, personal space!" Buffy wheezed under the influence of her Watcher's weight as he embraced her.

Giles quickly let go of her and she fell back onto the bed. "Buffy! I'm sorry, are you all right?"

Buffy shook her head to clear it for a moment, and then looked up at Giles. "I'm fine, but what in the world is going on?"

"Giles, where is Professor Xavier?" Scott demanded before Giles could answer.

The Watcher looked up at the younger man in sympathy. "He's in the next room, unconscious. I was wondering what was taking so long, and I came in to see what was going on and found him unconscious and having difficulty breathing. I waited as long as I could, but when it seemed like he was getting worse, Willow and I moved him out into the hallway and called a doctor to look at him. They admitted him, but thus far they don't know why he collapsed."

Scott stared at the older man in disbelief, and true fear. "No. Not again."

Giles looked at Scott sharply. "Has this happened before?"

Scott sank back into his feet, feeling numb and disbelieving. "Not…exactly." He stared blankly at Giles. "I'm such an idiot."

Buffy interceded. "Okay, be kind and rewind, please. What the hell is going on? Explanations would be nice, that is your terrain, Giles. So, spill."

Giles looked down at Buffy. "Uh, yes. Of course."

* * *

_Westchester, New York, Xavier's School for Gifted Students – Last Night_

"Bobby, how many times have we told you no ice slides in the house?!" Jean Grey called, her voice stern as she looked on the scene of havoc that Bobby and his friend John were wrecking to the mansion's main living area.

Looking guilty, the two teens stood up from where they had been horsing around with their powers to impress the newest student to the school, a young girl from Mississippi nicknamed Rogue.

"Sorry, Dr. Grey," they chimed together.

"Clean up this mess right now, both of you," Jean ordered, tapping her foot until the two youths complied, heading to the storage cupboards to retrieve mops and rags to clean up the puddles of water that had formed from the melting ice.

_Boys_, Jean thought with a smile. In all honesty, what Bobby and John had done didn't even begin to rival some of the stunts that Scott, Hank, Ororo and she had gotten up to years ago when they were Xavier's first students. However, now that she was a teacher, it was up to her to set some discipline for the students.

Turning down the hallway, she headed for the Professor's study. While he and Scott were gone, it was up to her to keep track of the expenses and inventory for the school. There were almost fifty students here now, and that meant a great deal of paperwork. It was fortunate that the Professor came from a wealthy family and that he didn't mind using his family's wealth to support the school. In fact, he enjoyed it. His students were the closest thing that he had to a family, and he had made it his life's work to help mutants and humans learn to co-exist together.

She smiled again as she saw her friend and fellow X-Man, Ororo Munro, known as Storm, approaching her from the far end of the hallway. The white-haired mutant was well respected by every person in the school. Her power was the ability to control the weather at will, and she had once been worshipped in Africa as a goddess because of her power.

Ororo observed her friend's smile and guessed at what was causing her good mood. "Let me guess…Bobby and John?" The two students were the biggest pranksters in the school right now, and generally speaking, if there was mischief afoot, those two were hip deep in it.

Jean chuckled. "Yes. They were trying to impress Rogue."

Ororo laughed as well. "Those two are almost as bad as Scott when the mood strikes him." She gave her friend a knowing look. "Have you heard from him at all? Is he having fun in California?"

Jean shook her head with a smile. "No, he hasn't called me yet, but I'm not surprised. I told him that he should take as much time with his cousin as he needed. They haven't seen each other since before Scott's powers manifested, and since Buffy and her parents are the only family he has left..."

Ororo nodded in understanding. Her parents had been killed when she was very young, and she only had a few memories of them. Scott, however, had the worse end of the deal. His parents had been killed in a plane crash, but his younger brother Alex had been shuffled into the foster care system and had disappeared, since it was easier to place children in foster homes when they were younger. Despite the Professor's influence, there was no trace of Alex Summers. Scott had no way of knowing if his brother was even alive. If his aunt and uncle hadn't acted as quickly as they did when they learned of the accident that had claimed the lives of Scott's parents, Scott could very well have been sent off into foster care as well, and he would have lost all of his family in one fell swoop.

Jean shrugged and continued down the hallway as she spoke, her friend falling into step next to her. "Anyway, I felt, given how much of the burden he's been shouldering around here recently, that he deserved a good long vacation with his cousin and his aunt. He was worried about Buffy after he got that last email from her, and you know that when Scott worries nothing gets accomplished."

Ororo laughed. It was a long-standing joke among the X-Men that Scott was too serious and occasionally needed a personality transplant. But behind his seriousness and his self control was the heart of a leader and a warrior. That was why the X-Men were as accomplished as they were, and why they trusted him with their lives every time they suited up. But when Scott worried, he became distracted and had difficulty in focusing on what was going on around him. This was doubly true when the focus of his worry was someone he loved.

"I don't blame him either," Jean continued. "I've read some of Buffy's letters and emails before, and this one was very different. Something has changed since the last time Scott heard from her and I think Scott was right to worry in this case."

"There's been no word from Professor X either?"

Jean shook her head with a laugh. "No. I told Scott that under no circumstances was the Professor to get in touch with us, unless it was a life-threatening emergency. Professor X has been through too much in recent weeks, dealing with Magneto, Rogue, and Logan. I wanted him to rest on this vacation, and not think about the school, or final exams, or the Brotherhood."

Ororo raised a surprised eyebrow. "And he agreed to that?"

Jean laughed. "Of course not, but between Scott and I we eventually convinced him that a rest would do him good. He wasn't happy, but…" she trailed off suddenly as a familiar telepathic signature flickered across her mind and she stopped dead in her tracks.

_**Jean…**_

It was so faint, and so fleeting, that at first she thought that she had imagined it. Blinking in surprise, she quickly cast her thoughts out into the Astral Plane. _**Professor Xavier?**_

For a long moment, there was nothing. Jean was at the point where she was certain that she had imagined it, when it came again.

There was no response, but Jean's instincts were telling her that something was wrong, that the Professor was in danger. Worry and fear spiked through her, because if the Professor was in danger when he was supposed to be on vacation, and felt threatened enough to reach out to Jean telepathically, what could have happened to Scott?

"Jean?" Ororo had stopped in surprise and had placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Jean, what is it?"

Jean looked seriously at her friend. "Get Piotr, Rogue, Bobby, and John. We need them."

"Why? What's going on, Jean?"

"They're going to watch the rest of the students that are still here. You and I are going to California."

* * *

_Sunnydale General_

Scott stepped into the room that the Professor had been admitted to. For a moment he was certain that he was trapped in a nightmare. It was all so familiar…the smell of the sterile, antiseptic-laced air, the stark, unforgiving walls, the form of his mentor lying perfectly still and silent on the bed.

Swallowing back his fears and reminding himself that Jean had told them that the Professor was not in danger of losing his life to the toxin that Magneto had poisoned him with, he stepped up beside the bed, his eyes going to Xavier's face.

"Professor?" he ventured, hoping that his voice would wake his teacher and everything would be better again.

There was no response from his mentor, as he had feared. Scott sank into the chair next to the bed, feeling his legs weakening at the thought that for the second time in a week, he was in danger of losing the man who was like a father to him.

"This is my fault," he said aloud, knowing that if he hadn't pushed Xavier to help his cousin, this wouldn't have happened. Damn it, he had promised Jean that he would make sure the Professor rested and that he would use his powers lightly, and only if he absolutely had to.

"No it isn't Scotty."

* * *

_Buffy's Room – Earlier_

Giles looked down at Buffy. "Uh, yes, of course." He cleared his throat. "What would you like to know?"

"Everything. Why I am in a hospital, what Scott is doing here, why it looks like all of you have been performing some kind of magical ritual on me, and who this 'Professor Xavier' is."

Giles nodded and reached for a handkerchief, beginning to polish his glasses. "What is the last thing that you remember, Buffy?"

The Slayer leaned back and frowned in thought. "I remember that we were going to go to the dance, and we were leaving the library. The next thing I remember after that was being in a big white room."

"You collapsed as we were leaving Buffy. Cordelia drove you, Angel, and I here, to Sunnydale General, and you were admitted. You've been in a coma," Giles began, but he was interrupted as Buffy processed that.

"A coma?! How long have I been out?"

"Four days, Buffy," Angel answered, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "Someone's been sitting with you around the clock."

"Four days! I've been asleep for four days?" Buffy repeated in shock.

Giles cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, Buffy. The doctors were very worried about you, because they couldn't figure out why you were unconscious, and we couldn't tell them the truth about what you had been doing before you collapsed. Your mom has been here almost constantly since you collapsed. She's out in the waiting area with Willow. She doesn't know you're awake."

"Mom! I want to see her, Giles."

"Of course. And we need to tell your doctors as well. I'm sure they have tests that they would like to run."

"No tests, Giles. I'm awake, I'm fine, and I am not staying here," Buffy said firmly.

"That'll be up to your mom, Buffy." Scott said sternly, despite his worry for his mentor.

Buffy eyed him. "What are you doing here, Scotty?"

Scott winced, but answered her anyway. "You emailed me, Buffy. Your letter worried me." He hesitated and then admitted his deepest fear. "I was afraid that you were thinking about committing suicide."

Buffy stared at him wordlessly, her mouth falling open. Her letter had done that? She hadn't thought that there was anything she had written that would make her cousin think she'd had such a radical personality switch.

"Um, yes." Giles continued, breaking the awkward moment. "At any rate, I met with Scott and Professor Xavier when I went to your house for your mother to make sure that your mail and newspapers were brought inside. I informed them of your condition and Scott insisted on coming here."

Scott nodded, his mouth drawn into a tight line as he remembered his fear for his cousin when he'd heard what had happened to her. "We've been waiting here, praying that you would wake up ever since."

Buffy swallowed and reached for his hand. She fought back the tears at the thought of what she had put her cousin and her mother through. "I'm sorry, Scotty."

"It's not your fault, Squirt," Scott exclaimed. "You couldn't know that the Master had one final trick up his sleeve."

Buffy's eyes widened. When he had called her the Slayer before, in her dream, she had thought that it was just because it was her desire to tell him her secret that had made him say that. But if he knew about the Master…she swallowed nervously again. "Who?"

Scott looked puzzled for a moment, as did Giles, Angel, and Xander. Suddenly, Scott realized what she was trying to do and smiled weakly at her. "It's okay, Buffy. Giles and Angel explained everything to me. I know you're the Slayer and I know about the Master."

Buffy exhaled slowly, one worry dismissed, for the moment. Scott was accepting now, but would he when she was home and the emotional aftermath had a chance to sink in? "So…my coma was because of the Master?"

Giles nodded. "The Master and the power of the Hellmouth. Professor Xavier theorized that when he bit you, a powerful, mystical connection was forged between you. When you killed him, in the last moments before he dusted, his essence somehow jumped from his mind to yours, and with the power of the Hellmouth to draw on, he overwhelmed your mind and trapped you on the Astral Plane."

Buffy frowned. "Like Billy?"

"Very similar, yes. Only, instead of crossing over, the way that Billy did, the Master was powerful enough to keep you trapped in your own mind, and prevented you from crossing over," Giles explained.

Buffy nodded, understanding the general concept at the very least.

"It's actually a fascinating phenomenon, and one that certainly merits more study. If the power of the Hellmouth is that easy to tap when one is unconscious, we could see more of these types of occurrences," Giles continued and Buffy could tell that he was about to go into one of his long-winded Watcher-in-research-mode rambles.

"Ack! Giles, stop! I get the idea. You can look into it later. But you still didn't answer my question. Who is Professor Xavier?"

Scott looked surprised. Buffy found that, despite the fact that she couldn't see his eyes, she had no trouble in reading his expressions. She wondered why he hadn't taken his glasses off. Before she could ask, her cousin continued.

"He's my mentor, Buffy. Do you remember, after the accident, when I came to live with you and your parents for a while?"

Buffy nodded, remembering how much she had enjoyed having her cousin there every day, even though he had been so sad and serious about his parents' deaths and the disappearance of his brother. "Yeah. I came home from cheerleading camp and Mom told me that you had left to go to a special school in New York."

Scott nodded. "Professor Xavier runs the school, Buffy. He heard about me and sought me out to be one of his first students. He handpicks all of his students. I went to his school and when I graduated, I stayed on, even through college and now I teach at the school. I thought you knew that."

Buffy shrugged. "I guess I never put the school that you teach at and the "Professor" you've mentioned in your letters with that school. It never occurred to me that you would teach at the school that you had attended yourself. Although, I never really pictured you as a teacher, either."

Scott looked amused, despite the situation. "What did you picture me as?"

Buffy looked embarrassed for a moment. "A movie star."

Scott stared at her for a moment, before bursting out laughing. Buffy blushed beet-red, but began to laugh as well. Through her giggles, she defended herself. "I was eight when you left, Scott! I always thought that you were handsome, and I remember how the girls used to chase you around when you lived with us."

They both laughed harder at that, and finally Xander, Angel, and Giles all joined in, the tension from the last week and the attempt to save Buffy draining out of the room as they laughed. Finally Buffy controlled her giggles long enough to catch her breath. "So, your mentor knows about me too?" When Scott nodded, catching his own breath and controlling his laughter, she turned a frown on Giles and Angel. "I thought I was supposed to be Secret Identity Girl?"

Angel caught her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "There wasn't much of a choice, Buffy. I had to save them from vampires last night. They were attacked in the parking lot, and I was on my way to visit you. It was just fortunate that I happened to be there at the right time. Your mom was attacked too, but she doesn't think it was anything more than an attempted mugging. But Xavier and Scott saw my game face, and they saw the other vampires in their game faces. Giles and I knew we had to tell them."

Buffy stared at the vampire for a long moment, looking deeply into his eyes. Finally she nodded. "My mom's okay, though?"

"She's fine, Buffy. Worried about you, but physically she's fine," Angel replied.

Buffy looked around at the others. "So where is Professor Xavier?"

Scott jolted, looking guilty for a moment, before standing. He squeezed Buffy's hand tightly and slipped silently out of the room.

Buffy stared after him in surprise. "What did I say?"

Giles sighed. "He's worried about his mentor, Buffy. The Professor is unconscious at the moment, and Scott wasn't here to help him."

Buffy looked her Watcher square in the eyes. "What happened? And why do I have the impression that Scotty, Xander, and Angel were all in my mind?"

Giles cleared his throat and reached for his handkerchief. "Buffy, do you know anything about the mutant phenomenon?"

Buffy looked at Giles in confusion. "Only what I've seen on the news. Why?"

Giles hesitated, trying to figure out how to break the news to the Slayer. Angel spared him and answered for him. "Buffy, Professor Xavier is a mutant." He paused for a long moment, before continuing. "So is Scott."

Buffy stared between her Watcher and the vampire. "What?"

Giles nodded, pocketing his handkerchief and replacing his glasses. "Your cousin is a mutant, Buffy. A very powerful one."

"I thought that all the mutants changed in some way, though. Scott looks older, but he doesn't look any different," Buffy protested.

"Not all mutants change physically, Buffy, but Scott has changed. His power is in his eyes, which is why he wears those sunglasses, even indoors. He can't remove them," Angel explained gently.

"But…why?" Buffy asked, still not fully believing the vampire. "How do you know?"

"I've seen his power in action, Buffy. But I'm not the one who should explain it to you. You need to talk to Scott about it, and you need to talk to him about being the Slayer. I think, for the moment, he's accepted it intellectually, but once everything gets back to normal…well, he may still have some problems with it. He wasn't happy when we told him," Angel said quietly.

Buffy nodded slowly, knowing that the vampire was right. "All right." She looked up at Giles, sheepishly. "I actually kinda wanted him to know I was the Slayer. I was thinking about that before…" she trailed off for a moment and Giles laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"While the Council would say that no one must know who you are, I disagree. Buffy, you've proven, after only a year that the Slayer can have friends, and family, and a life. You've shown me that with friends that know what you are, more can be accomplished than if you were to operate alone. I see no reason that your cousin cannot know the truth, if it makes you feel better to have support from someone in your family."

Buffy smiled weakly. "Thanks Giles. Scotty is probably the safest person in my family too. He lives in New York, and there's no way that he would be in danger from knowing that I am the Slayer." Giles nodded in agreement and squeezed her shoulder in a silent gesture of support.

Buffy looked at her friends. "Now, why do I have the impression that you guys were in my head, and what happened to Professor Xavier?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Professor Xavier is a very powerful telepath, Buffy. He can read minds." Buffy nodded, understanding, and gestured for Giles to continue. "When he learned about the Master's attack on you, he, as I've mentioned, theorized that it was the Master's essence keeping you imprisoned on the Astral Plane, but confined to your own mind so you couldn't reach us to let us know what was going on. Because of his power, he can reach the Astral Plane psychically. He attempted to go into your mind and wake you, using his power, but he was thrown out by the Master. The Master was stronger than he was, because he wasn't sure what he was going to be facing and the Master surprised him."

"What does that have to do with Angel, Scotty, and Xander?"

Giles opened his mouth, but then paused and looked at Angel. "Actually, I'm not sure what his actual plan was."

Angel picked up the thread of explanation. "Professor Xavier could reach the Astral Plane where the rest of us couldn't, because we're not psychic. But, because he is, he could bring others with him. So he brought the three of us. When he was in your mind the first time, he saw that the Master was making you relive the fight and your death over and over. He realized that the only way you could wake up is if the chain was broken. Because Xander and I were there the first time, he brought us with him so the events after the Master bit you could be relived, which meant that Xander would revive you with CPR again. He took Scott with him, because he knew that you would need to see people who loved you to convince you to fight back."

"And it worked?"

Angel nodded. "Yes. It worked. But in the process, the Master realized we were there and attacked us. Professor Xavier fought him off long enough for Xander to break you free of the visions the Master was giving you. After that…the Master appeared in a spirit form, although it seemed as if he was really there, and he was solid enough to grab the Professor and bite him." Now Angel looked confused. "After that we all found ourselves in your mind, I guess. Maybe because we were on the Astral Plane when the Professor was bitten, we were just trapped there, I'm not sure."

Buffy stared at Angel. "Professor Xavier is dead?"

Giles shook his head. "No, Buffy. He's unconscious. But according to Scott, he was ill recently, and he was supposed to be resting and relaxing while they were here. I think Scott feels guilty for asking him to help you before he was fully recovered."

"I need to see him," Buffy declared, trying to push herself out of her bed.

Giles and Angel acted immediately and pushed her back. She was still weak and tired from her ordeal and couldn't fight their combined strength. She grumbled, knowing that on a good day she could probably toss both of them off of her like it was nothing.

Giles looked stern. "Buffy, you've been in a coma for four days! You're not going anywhere. I'm going to get your mother and call the doctors and you're going to rest."

"I've been resting," Buffy grumbled, but with all three of her friends glaring at her, she submitted. There would be a chance later to go and find Scott.

* * *

_The X-Jet, en route to Sunnydale, California…_

"I'll take over, Storm," Jean said as she emerged from the back of the plane where she had been checking the communications from Sunnydale, trying to see if there was anything that had happened that the local news and radio had picked up on that could have put Scott and the Professor in danger. So far, there didn't appear to be any incidents, but they were still an hour out from landing in Sunnydale.

Ororo nodded and switched the controls of the plane over to Jean, sitting back a little. She regarded her friend. "Anything more from the Professor?"

Jean shook her head. "No, and that worried me more than anything. I'm normally the last person that he would reach out to telepathically, especially from such a distance. But since he did, for us to lose all contact…" she shook her head. "I'm worried Storm. If I dared, I would have tried to use Cerebro again, the way I did to find Rogue, but it was hard last time, and to try to find a telepath with his power and his degree of shielding…" she trailed off, knowing her friend would understand.

Ororo nodded. She did understand. The fact of the matter was that Jean's telepathy simply wasn't as strong as the Professor's, and she didn't have the level of control that she truly needed to operate Cerebro. She knew the Professor was working with her intensively to get her to that point, but she simply wasn't ready. When she had used the powerful enhancer to find Rogue, she could have easily killed herself or put herself into the same state that the Professor had been put into with the help of Magneto's toxin. She had simply been very, very lucky.

"I'm sure that they're both fine," Ororo offered, hoping to make her friend feel better.

Jean nodded, but the tight, worried expression on her face told Storm that her friend didn't really believe her reassurances.

* * *

_Sunnydale General Hospital – Professor Xavier's Room - A Few Hours Later_

"No, it's not, Scotty," Buffy said softly.

Scott whirled around at the sound of his cousin's voice. He had seen her taken off for some tests only a few hours ago. The doctors were declaring her recovery to be a miracle, and the fact that she was so lucid and had more strength than they had expected, given how weak her brain patterns had been had excited them greatly. Scott knew that his cousin was in for a barrage of tests and exams, so he had felt that it was all right for him to come and sit beside his mentor while her doctors were with her.

His Aunt Joyce had been ecstatic when she saw that her daughter was awake and alert. She had burst into tears of joy, as a matter of fact, alarming Buffy for a moment, until Aunt Joyce reassured her that she was just relieved.

Now, however, Buffy stood in the doorway, a little shaky on her feet, but otherwise wide awake and looking stronger than Scott had expected. His eyes widened behind his glasses and he jumped to his feet. "Buffy! What are you doing out of bed?"

"I'm tired of being poked and prodded. I threw everyone out of my room, supposedly so I could get some rest, and told them to go home for the night." She looked pleased with herself. "But I know you're having one of your worry-fits, so as soon as the doctors left me alone, I came to find you."

"Sit down." It wasn't a request.

"I'm fine, Scott. Yay, Slayer healing."

"Buffy, sit down right now, or I am going to pick you up and put you back into bed the way I do our youngest students when they have nightmares," Scott said.

"Do you really want to try? I'm stronger than you are, Scott," Buffy dared him.

Scott took a step closer to her. "You can barely stand up."

Buffy had to admit that, with his eyes hidden behind his glasses, and his face so stern, plus the fact that her lanky cousin had put on a ton of muscle, Scott did look rather intimidating. She huffed a sigh of defeat. "Fine, but once I'm back to full strength, bring it on, Scotty."

She made her way over to the side of the bed and sank into the chair that Scott had been occupying next to Professor Xavier's bed. As Scott pulled another chair up from the corner of the room, she studied the older man that Scott had always spoken of in such high regard.

As he lay there unconscious, Buffy had to admit that there wasn't much about the Professor that seemed particularly intimidating, especially as she caught sight of the wheelchair parked in one corner of the room. But there was something about Xavier's face; even while he was unconscious…it was a nobility that spoke of kindness, compassion, and hidden strength. Whatever this man had done for her cousin, it had obviously helped Scott to become the man he was. More even than that, the Professor had saved her life and for that alone, she would always be grateful to him.

Scott settled next to her, his gaze traveling between her and his mentor. Buffy could feel his eyes on her, even though she couldn't see them behind his glasses. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Buffy finally spoke.

"Thank you, Scotty."

Scott smiled. "You're welcome, Buffy. I just wish the price hadn't been so high." His gaze returned to Xavier.

"He wouldn't want you to worry, Scott," Buffy said after a long pause. "He knew what might happen and he was willing to take the chance."

"He shouldn't have had to make that choice, and it's my fault that he did," Scott replied vehemently. "I've always taken from him. He offered his home, his money, his wisdom, his friendship, his leadership, and I took it. He offered me a job as a teacher when I graduated, and I took it. Now, because I asked him to, he offered something that he might not survive."

"Shouldn't that be his choice, Scott?" Buffy asked after a moment. "You asked, but he agreed. I don't know much about him, or what your relationship to him is, other than what you've told me in your letters, but if he was willing, you should honor his choice and not try to take guilt where it doesn't belong. Did you force him to help me?"

Scott was silent for a long moment, surprised at the wisdom that his cousin was showing. "No."

"Did you give him a chance to say no?"

Scott nodded wordlessly.

"Then it was his choice, Scotty. He's an adult and fully capable of making his own choices. He made the one that he wanted to, because he cares about you and he cares about the people that are important to you. I will always be grateful for what he did, and for making the sacrifice he made, and so should you. You ought to respect him enough to realize that. To take the guilt for what happened to him only cheapens his sacrifice."

Scott was amazed at the eloquence that his cousin was displaying, along with the wisdom. As he thought about what she had said, he realized that she was right. Professor Xavier had made his choice, and he needed to respect that.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my cousin?" he asked, a teasing tone entering his voice.

Buffy smiled, but it was a faint smile and tinged with sadness. "She had to grow up, Scott." Buffy was quiet for several minutes. "Since I became the Slayer, I've seen a lot of death and a lot of destruction. I've lost friends; I've seen people die and not been able to stop it. I've even had to bring death to some people who were or who could have been friends."

She paused. "My first Watcher, Merrick, was killed by a Master vampire right in front of me and I couldn't stop it. It was right about that time that I realized that this wasn't a game. I tried to stop being the Slayer when we moved here, but then I find out that this town is sitting right on top of a gateway to Hell. Not exactly a pleasant discovery."

"Buffy, if I could, I would take this away from you, but I can't," Scott said, his heart aching for what his cousin had gone through.

Buffy nodded. "I know you would, Scotty, but I wouldn't ask you to. This is my Destiny, and like it or not, I'll be the Slayer until I die." She smiled again. "Scott, you can't even control the fact that you are a mutant. How could you hope to take a mystical power away from me?"

Scott stared at his cousin. "How did you know I'm a mutant?"

"Angel told me. He told me what the Professor did, and he mentioned that you were a mutant as well, but he didn't tell me exactly what your ability is. He only told me that it has something to do with your eyes and that you couldn't take your glasses off."

Scott nodded. "My body absorbs solar energy and converts it into a powerful energy blast that comes from my eyes. My glasses are made of ruby quartz, the only material that blocks the beams. My power is always on and if I would take off my glasses…" Scott looked wary and uncomfortable.

Buffy nodded. "I understand Scott. I have special powers too, remember? I'm stronger than anyone in this town. I can even beat down a football player without breaking a sweat if I have to. I've got something of a reputation at the high school. Mess with me or my friends and you're asking for a smack-down."

Scott chuckled, despite his discomfort with the idea of Buffy knowing what he was. He had rather been hoping that the Professor's ability would be dismissed as a mystical occurrence, rather than a mutation. He was very worried about how Buffy would treat him, knowing what she now knew. He swallowed nervously. "And…how do you feel about me being a mutant?"

Buffy looked at him in surprise. "I think it's cool. It's nice to know I'm not the only different one in this family."

"You don't care, then?"

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. You know I'm the Slayer, I know you're a mutant. Now we don't have to worry about whether or not the other will discover our secrets."

Scott felt tears in the corner of his eyes, but they dried quickly, thanks to the constant power of his optic beams. He leaned forward and hugged Buffy tightly. "Thanks Squirt. I'm glad you feel that way."

Buffy returned his hug. "I love you, Scotty. You've always been there for me, now I get to return the favor."

"I love you too, Buffy."

**Author's Note: For those of you who may think Buffy's a little OOC at the end, I'll explain. She has just been through a very traumatic experience, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet. Plus, she did show wisdom and maturity when she decided to go and fight the Master. Given the things that she's seen, it didn't seem like much of a stretch for her to have some rare moments of maturity. Yes, I know she comes back acting all bitchy at the beginning of Season 2, but again, she hasn't really assimilated everything that happened to her yet.**


	16. New Problems

**Chapter Sixteen: **_**New Problems**_

Jean brought the modified Blackbird to a gentle, traditional landing and taxied into the private hanger that she had requested when she had begun the approach to Sunnydale. While Scott was a better pilot than she was, the Professor had insisted that they all learn to fly the plane in case Scott was ever incapacitated to the point that he couldn't fly.

As Storm took over to handle the shut-down and landing procedures, Jean reached out with her mind and attempted to contact the Professor again. Because they worked so closely together, Jean usually had little trouble locating Xavier with her telepathy. He could reach her just about anywhere on the planet, but Jean had to be within a certain range to be able to find him and initiate the contact.

_**Professor?**_

There was no response from Xavier to her telepathic call. Gathering her full power, she tried again. _**Charles? Professor, please answer me!**_

When she still didn't receive a response, Jean felt a cold chill trickle down her spine. This was eerily similar to the coma that the Professor had been in as a result of Magneto's toxin. The toxin wasn't completely out of his system when he left New York…could he have had a relapse?

Storm was waiting patiently when Jean gave up for the moment. "Jean? Any luck?"

Jean shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm really worried, 'Ro. He wouldn't ignore me deliberately. Something must be wrong."

Her friend looked at her, shared worry on her face, but with an enviable calmness. Very little rattled the weather goddess, no matter what she felt, she was patient and believed that everything would work out as it was intended to. "What now?"

Jean took a deep breath as she considered that very question. "We rent a car and start at the most obvious place. Buffy's house. That's where Scott and the Professor are supposed to be, so we'll start with Scott's aunt."

"What about the comlinks?" Storm asked.

Jean shook her head. "I didn't let Scott or the Professor take one with them. I told them if there was an emergency I'd call them at Buffy's house. I have her phone number and address from Scott's address book."

"Why don't we just call then, and see if they're there?" Storm wondered.

Jean smiled tightly. "I've never spoken to Buffy or her mom. I'd rather meet them in person before we do anything, and I want to see Scott if he's there."

Storm nodded, although she didn't really agree. "Street clothes, then?"

Jean nodded. "Yeah, but we'll bring our uniforms with us."

* * *

_Sunnydale General – Professor Xavier's Room – Same time_

"Scotty, you said that your power involved solar energy, right?" Buffy asked as they sat beside Xavier's bed. She was wrapped in a blanket and hospital robe over her hospital gown. She had begged her mother to bring her back a change of clothes when she came back later that day, and Joyce had agreed.

Scott nodded, looking with curiosity at his cousin. "Yeah, it's the source of my power. Why?"

Buffy glanced up at him. "Didn't Angel tell you that sunlight is one of the quickest ways to dust vampires?"

Scott nodded. "He mentioned it. I've actually already, you called it 'dusted', right?" At Buffy's nod, he continued. "I've already dusted two. When Angel saved us from the vampires, I blasted them and they crumbled into dust."

Buffy grinned. "Cool. Do you have to be standing in direct sunlight for your power to work?"

Scott shook his head. "Nope. My body stores it, so I can use my power any time, but after dark my power diminishes pretty quickly. We've never actually tested the limits of my power after dark, because it's usually not an issue. My power is one of those that would be considered a "fight-ender". Very few mutants want to go against me directly, and fewer still have actually tried it."

Buffy's grin widened and for a moment, looked feral. "Nice. You and I are definitely going on a patrol when the doctors let me out of here."

Scott tipped his head to the side and studied his cousin. "A patrol?"

Buffy nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I usually go out every night looking for stray vamps to dust. I average one or two a night, normally. I haven't been out for the last four nights, and I'm worried about the Master's minions. They might have gotten people."

Willow poked her head into the room at that moment. "No they haven't Buffy. Angel's been going out every night before coming to see you, and making another quick sweep before sunrise. He says the activity is really low since you dusted the Master. He only dusted two vamps the night after the dance, and since then there hasn't been anything except for the fledglings that attacked Scott and the Professor."

Buffy frowned. "I wonder why. The Anointed One is still out there, I didn't dust him before facing the Master, but I probably should have. He'll be the new leader with the Master gone."

Willow shrugged. "Angel said there's nothing right now."

Buffy looked thoughtful, before shrugging it off. "Okay then. I guess that's that." She looked at her friend hopefully. "Please tell me that you brought me some clothes?"

Willow laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I did. I stopped by your house before I came by. Your mom was catching up on the mail and the phone calls she's missed while you've been unconscious. I told her I'd bring you some."

Buffy sighed in relief. "Good. I just want to get out of here. I hate hospitals."

Willow pulled Buffy to her feet. "C'mon, I left them in your room." The two girls headed out, Willow steadying the Slayer since she was still a little weak from her experience, although her strength had already returned rapidly. Her rapid recovery reminded Scott of Logan and his healing ability, and he wondered which of them was the stronger. They'd probably never know, Scott knew, since Logan had left the mansion a few hours before Scott and the Professor had.

The Professor had fulfilled his end of the bargain that he had made with Logan and had sent him to an abandoned military base in Canada, with hopes that he would find answers to his past. Whether or not he would come back was still in question.

Scott sighed and regarded his mentor's unconscious form again. "Professor, if you can hear me, I hope that you know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me since we met. You've done more than I could have ever expected and hoped for. And now, what've you've given up for Buffy…I owe you a debt that I don't think I can ever repay."

"Scott, what did I tell you about taking on guilt that isn't yours?" his cousin asked as she reentered the room.

"It's not guilt this time, Buffy. It's truth," Scott replied. "I owe Professor Xavier more than I can ever hope to repay. He's done everything for me. He's given me a home, a family, an education, a place to belong, and the ability to control my powers. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have ever met my girlfriend."

Buffy laid a hand on his shoulder as she stepped up to retake her seat. "You should be grateful, but don't act like he's going to die, Scott. This isn't the time to say your good-byes." She stared at him seriously. "Remember, Scott, I know death. I've seen it, and I live it every night. This isn't death."

Scott nodded, wanting to believe her. "It's just…he's been like a father to me, Buffy. How can I not do everything in my power to repay him, even if it means letting him go in peace, knowing how much I appreciate him?"

"It's not time, yet, Scott. Before you came here, wasn't he in perfect health?" Willow asked curiously.

Scott nodded. "Except for his paralysis, yes."

Buffy nodded decisively. "Then he'll pull through, Scott. You have to believe it."

Scott stared intently at her, feeling the hairs rising on the back of his neck. Her words were so eerily similar to what the Professor had told Joyce before he had made his first attempt to wake Buffy.

"Scott? What is it?" Buffy asked, catching the look on his face.

Scott shook his head. "Nothing. You're right, is all. I'll keep believing."

After all, how could he do anything less for his mentor than he had done for his cousin?

* * *

_1630 Revello Drive – One Hour Later_

Jean and Ororo stepped up onto the porch outside the house belonging to Scott's aunt and cousin. Both of them looked completely normal and were carrying small overnight bags that held their uniforms. Jean rang the doorbell and then stepped back from the door so that whoever answered could see her face clearly through the glass. She could sense one person inside, coming towards the door.

A moment later the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with brownish-blonde hair and green eyes. "Yes?"

Jean smiled warmly, despite her anxiety for Scott and the Professor. "Are you Joyce Summers?"

Joyce nodded carefully. "Yes, I am."

Jean extended her free hand carefully. "My name is Dr. Jean Grey, Mrs. Summers. I'm from Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Students."

Joyce recognized the name of the young woman. "Oh! You must be Scott's girlfriend!" She looked over at Storm. "And that means you must be Ororo Munro?"

Both women nodded. Jean smiled. "He's told you about us then?"

Joyce nodded. "Oh yes, and all about your school, although he didn't mention that you were a doctor!" Suddenly she seemed to realize that they were standing on her porch. "Please, come in."

Jean hesitated. "We don't want to intrude. I was just wondering if Scott or Professor Xavier is here."

Joyce's smile fell. "Scott didn't call you?"

Jean's fears spiked alarmingly. "Scott hasn't spoken to me since I dropped them off at the airport. I didn't want him or the Professor to worry about what was going on at the school. This was supposed to be a vacation."

Joyce sighed. "Please come in and I'll explain everything. They're both at the hospital at the moment."

Jean and Ororo looked at each other in worry as they stepped inside. "Were they hurt?" Ororo asked.

Joyce bit her lip as she led the two women into the living room. "Not exactly. My daughter Buffy was injured a few days ago in a gang-related incident. She was in a coma for four days. Scott's been sitting with her almost constantly since he got here. Early this morning she woke up suddenly, against the doctor's expectations. Sometime between last night and this morning, however, Professor Xavier collapsed unexpectedly with breathing difficulties. The last I heard from anyone, he was unconscious. Buffy sent me and all her friends home to get some sleep, but Scott refused to leave the Professor's side."

Jean swallowed nervously. She had been worried about Magneto's toxin, even though it wasn't fatal. Despite her confidence that the Professor was recovered from the toxin, the possibility of a relapse had still been higher than she was comfortable with or had portrayed to Scott and the Professor.

Joyce noticed her unease. "Are you all right, Jean?"

Jean nodded. "Just worried. I don't know if the Professor or Scott mentioned it, but the Professor was ill recently. That's the reason he came out with Scott, to get some rest and recover. There was still a possibility that he might have had a relapse, but it was such a low chance, I thought that it would be best if he just rested while Scott visited you and Buffy and didn't have to think about final exams or final grades."

"Can you tell us how to get to the hospital?" Ororo asked kindly. "Jean knows how to treat the Professor; she's his personal doctor, along with being the doctor for the whole school and a teacher."

Joyce smiled. "I was actually about to go back to the hospital myself and check on Buffy. You're welcome to leave your car and your things here and come with me."

Jean and Ororo looked at each other measuringly and both nodded. Ororo turned back to Joyce. "I think we'll take you up on that."

As Joyce stood to finish collecting her purse, Ororo turned to Jean and whispered to her. "Is there an antidote to the toxin?"

Jean shook her head. "I haven't had a chance to work on one, because I thought the toxin would have purged itself from his system by now, and we've been so busy with the students. It wasn't a priority."

"Well, we'll just have to do the best that we can," Storm whispered as Joyce reentered the room and the two of them rose, leaving their uniforms in the bags near the base of the stairs.

As they got into Mrs. Summers' SUV and got settled, Storm spoke from her position in the back seat. "Mrs. Summers, how far is it to the hospital?"

"Only a few minutes. Sunnydale is a relatively small town," Joyce replied. She started the car and they backed out of the driveway and onto the road. As she drove, Joyce suddenly frowned and glanced at Jean, who was sitting next to her. "Dr. Grey, how did you know something was wrong if Scott didn't call you?"

Jean glanced over at Storm, quickly. "It was in our plans originally to come out as well," the white-haired mutant replied. "Scott and the Professor weren't very thrilled with the idea of leaving right before final exams, but Jean convinced them that it would be best if they both got some rest while we took care of the students. So we agreed that Jean and I would take care of finishing out the semester while they came out to visit, and then once all the students had been sent home, we would come out as well."

"Scott mentioned that a lot of your students are runaways or abandoned," Joyce commented. "They don't have homes but do they go to foster care?"

Storm shook her head. "Right now we only have one girl who would be considered a runaway, but her parents had rejected her just before she left. All of our students are given the opportunity to return home over the breaks, but if they don't want to or their parents don't accept them Professor Xavier allows them to stay year-round. All of those students went home with friends that do still have parents who love them and want to be with them."

Actually, the few remaining students were under the care of the four oldest students, the ones closest to graduation. All four of them were responsible and mature young adults and they were all powerful enough that no one was going to dispute their authority, especially when it was backed by Jean and Storm.

Joyce nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to the road.

* * *

_Professor Xavier's Room_

"Buffy, you'd better get back to your own room before your mom gets here, if you don't want her to know about your Slayer powers," Willow ventured.

Buffy pouted. "I almost don't care if she finds out, if it means that I don't have to be poked and prodded by more doctors."

Scott glanced up. "Now that you're awake, Buffy, I'll talk to your mom and see if she would mind if you were moved into a double room with Professor Xavier. Then she doesn't have to know."

Buffy looked at Scott in surprise. "You'd conspire with me to fool my mom?"

Scott grinned. "What are cousins for if not to help with an occasional conspiracy?"

Buffy matched his grin. "Who would have ever thought that my stern, overprotective cousin would be willing to help me?" she said in mock surprise to Willow, who giggled.

"Of course, this won't work if you don't get back to your room ASAP," Scott mentioned.

Buffy hopped out of her chair. "I'm going!"

With Willow trailing her, still giggling, Buffy slipped out of Xavier's room and back into her own room, and not a moment too soon. Less than five minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Scott looked up in surprise to see Jean and Storm looking in, dismay and horror on their faces.

Scott rose from his seat in surprise. "Jean? Ororo?" He took two steps toward the door. "What are you doing here?" A thrill of alarm went through him. "The students-?"

"Are fine, Scott," Ororo replied quietly. "We left the older students in charge while we came out here."

"What happened, Scott?" Jean asked as she took in his exhausted features and the unconscious form of the Professor.

Scott hesitated for a moment, not sure if Buffy would like him to reveal her secret, even to his girlfriend and best friend. "I'm not really sure."

Jean stared at him. She could tell he wasn't telling her the truth, but he was shielding from her, the way the Professor had taught all of them to do. She could break through those shields if she wanted to, but obviously Scott must have a reason for shielding against her, or he wouldn't have put them up in the first place, and she would not invade his privacy that way.

Pursing her lips, she walked over to the Professor's bed and stood near the head of the bed. Placing a hand on his forehead, she gently probed his mind with her own telepathy, trying to contact him. Her face creased in concentration as she struggled to make contact with him, before she finally broke off her efforts, her face worried and pale from the effort.

"Jean?" the other two asked together.

"He's not there," she whispered, almost inaudibly, as she tried to come to terms with what she sensed. Storm and Scott stared at her intently and she repeated herself, louder this time. "He's not there."

"What do you mean, Jean?" Scott asked, his heart in his throat as he throttled back his fear. _What have I done?_

Jean shook her head, hard and glanced between her lover and her mentor. "His mind is still there, but his personality…it's gone. It's like…like his mind has shattered somehow and there's only a fragment left, just enough to keep himself alive. I didn't get any sense of _self_ when I tried to reach him, and that's why I couldn't contact him on the way here."

"How is that possible?" Storm breathed.

Jean shook her head. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before. If I had to guess, I'd say that it was a very powerful psychic, but I've never heard of such an individual, and Cerebro would certainly have detected someone with the power needed to do this."

Scott swallowed nervously. "How much power are we talking about?"

Jean looked thoughtfully down at the Professor. "Someone would have to be at least twice as powerful a telepath as Professor Xavier to bypass his shields and defenses, but to do this…" she shook her head. "Probably at least three times as strong as the Professor."

Scott hesitated, before offering, "What if the Professor was distracted when he was attacked, or he had some of his shields down?"

Jean shook her head. "It wouldn't be enough for a lesser telepath to accomplish an attack of this magnitude. I'm not talking about the defenses like the Professor has taught all of us. I'm speaking of his core shields. He _never_ takes those down, and he has at least thirty percent of his own power directed towards maintaining those shields at all time. To do this to him, those shields would have to have been, not just breached, but utterly destroyed."

* * *

_Buffy's Room – Several Minutes Later_

Scott walked slowly into Buffy's room, to find his Aunt Joyce sitting next to Buffy, the two of them talking quietly and laughing together as they shared humorous stories with Willow, who was perched on the end of Buffy's bed. Giles and Angel had left for a while, but had promised to come back later, and Xander had said he had some things to take care of before he came to visit.

"Scotty!" Buffy called happily as she spotted him coming in. "Come and remind Mom about what happened at my eighth birthday party! It was just after you moved in with us, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember, Buffy." He hesitated. "I'd love to talk to you about this, but…" he trailed off. "Aunt Joyce…Willow…do you mind if I talk to Buffy alone for a few minutes? It's…kind of important."

Joyce stood up. "Of course not, Scott. We'll leave you two alone and let you get caught up." The two of them headed out the door, and Scott closed it behind them, leaning back against it for a moment, before moving over to sit on the edge of Buffy's bed.

Buffy looked seriously at her cousin. "What is it, Scotty?" she asked, quietly.

"Professor X. He…" Scott paused, shaking his head, not wanting to say aloud what Jean had told him. "I…don't think he's…going…going to make it."

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise and she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her cousin. "Tell me."

Scott took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts so he could explain the Professor's condition to Buffy. "Okay. Um…I told you that Professor Xavier is a telepath, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "Telepathy is a dangerous power, not only for the telepath, but for everyone. Without firm control, it is very easy to hurt everyone around you."

"That's the case with any kind of power," Buffy pointed out, remembering her own problems as she adjusted to her new Slayer strength.

"But it's especially dangerous for a telepath, because you're messing with people's minds. I've worked with the Professor long enough to understand that. One of the first things that he always tells any of our students is that they have to learn to protect themselves with their powers first, and then worry about what other things can be done with it, but that's especially true for telepaths."

Buffy shook her head. "Scott, you lost me. What does all of this have to do with Professor X?"

Scott huffed out a breath. "Sorry." He gathered his thoughts again. "In order to protect themselves, telepaths use a series of mental shields that keep them from receiving other people's thoughts unless they want to. Professor X teaches all of his students how to do that, because with strong enough shields, you can also protect yourself from mental attacks. Professor Xavier has a gift for helping others learn to establish mental shields, and he has powerful shields himself. Because he is as powerful a telepath as he is, it's imperative that he keep himself under control and shielded at all times."

Buffy nodded in understanding.

"Because Professor Xavier's shields are so strong, he's usually not at risk from psychic attacks. As far as I can remember, the last time someone managed to attack him successfully with psychic powers was when he was still learning to shield himself, or so he told me. People have tried, but no one has managed to penetrate his shields successfully."

"Why is this important enough that you're telling me?" Buffy asked, confused. "Scott, I don't know anything about telepathy. Just tell me, please…why do you think he won't make it, and what do you need from me?"

Scott looked away from her for a moment, taking a deep breath to try to relieve the pressure that was building up inside him. He honestly didn't know what he would do if Professor Xavier wasn't around any more. "Buffy…his shields _were_ penetrated." He shook his head and looked back at her with complete certainty. "Not only penetrated, but according to Jean, they were completely destroyed."

Buffy understood immediately. "The Master?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't know. Angel and Giles said he didn't have any psychic ability, and if he had the power to do this…he wouldn't have needed the Anointed One to bring you to him. He could have _compelled_ you to come and you wouldn't have been able to resist him."

"So…you're saying that there is something out there…worse than the Master?" Buffy asked.

Scott shrugged at first, but finally, nodded. "I think it's a possibility, but I don't know enough about the things you fight to know if there is anything out there that would have this type of power. I _know_ it's not a mutant. Professor Xavier would know if there was a mutant that powerful running around. Someone with that kind of power wouldn't be able to hide from Cerebro."

"Cerebro?"

"Professor X's telepathic enhancer. It's how he locates new students and keeps track of the dangerous ones that we have to stop, like Magneto."

Buffy sat back, considering that. "Jean's your girlfriend, right?"

Scott blinked at the change in topic. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"You mentioned her. Is she here?"

Scott nodded. "She sensed something was wrong and flew out. She's a telepath too, and she has a close bond with the Professor because he works with her intensely every day to help her develop her power. Why?"

"Just curious," Buffy replied absently. "All right. Go out and find Willow. Ask her to call Giles and have him get over here as quickly as possible." She glanced at the window. "It's still daylight, so Angel can't come until tonight, but tell her to call Xander. Once they're all here, we'll talk to Jean. We'll need Giles' help if we're going to figure out what happened to the Professor."

* * *

_**Good girl. You're doing all the right things.**_


	17. Pooling Resources

_Chapter Seventeen: __**Pooling Resources**_

Angel slipped quietly into the room and took in the sight of the gathered group. Xander, Willow, and Buffy were all on the bed, for once very quiet. Giles was seated in a chair near Buffy's bed, several books piled on the floor around him. Scott was leaning back against the wall, his eyes hidden by his special glasses and his face blank. Angel could smell the fear and worry on him, however, so he knew the younger man was not as calm as he was pretending to be.

But there were two new faces in the room as well. Angel eyed them warily as he stepped closer to Buffy. The first woman was average height, with hair as red as Willow's and bright green eyes. Her face was composed, but he could smell worry and fear on her as well, along with a hint of confusion. The second woman was tall and statuesque, with dark chocolate skin, electric blue eyes, and shockingly white hair. Like the other woman, he could scent worry coming from her, but unlike the others, she was not afraid. Confused, yes. Concerned, definitely. But not afraid.

"Buffy, what's going on?" he asked, cautiously. He'd received a message from Giles earlier in the day, telling him that they needed him to come to the hospital as soon as it was safe for him to do so. Nothing was wrong with Buffy, Giles had said, but they needed his help.

She smiled at him, but it was a smile tinged with caution. "I'm not sure, Angel. All I know is Professor Xavier needs help, and you were part of everything."

Angel nodded and back against the wall so that his face was somewhat in shadow. He didn't have anything against being seen, but he was a creature of the night. He just felt more comfortable in darkness.

The redheaded stranger spoke up. "What is going on?"

"Jean, it's okay," Scott moved to reassure her, touching her shoulder lightly with his fingers.

The redhead now identified as Jean looked from Scott to the rather large gathering and back again, radiating frustration. "Scott, we don't have time for this. Please, just tell me what is going on. Professor Xavier may not have much time left."

"Scott, she is right. We don't know how that happened to Professor X, and we don't know how long he can hang on with his mind in tatters," the exotic woman spoke up.

Scott sighed. "It's not my story to tell, Ororo. It's Buffy's." He looked over at his cousin, who nodded.

Buffy licked her lips as she gathered her thoughts. "Do you believe in the supernatural?"

The two newcomers frowned, not understanding. "The supernatural?" Ororo asked. "What do you mean?"

"Vampires, demons, magic," Buffy said succinctly. "Do you believe in it?"

"No," Jean said. She looked at Scott with exasperation. "Scott, what is all of this? How is this going to help the Professor?"

Scott took one of her hands in his and rubbed it, soothingly. "Because it has everything to do with what happened to him."

"Jean, the supernatural is real. Vampires exist. So do demons and magic, and all the things that go 'bump' in the night," Buffy said firmly. "I know that better than anyone, because it's my job to know it."

"They're fairy tales," Jean replied.

Buffy shook her head. "No, they aren't." She looked towards Angel. "Angel?"

"Are you sure, Buffy?"

"Positive. Show them."

Angel was quiet for a moment before he stepped into the middle of the room. "You need proof? Here." He relaxed his defenses and allowed his demon to come forward, feeling his face shift and his senses sharpening.

Jean and Ororo stared wordlessly at the man that Buffy had called Angel. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing. His face…it was so twisted…demonic, even. And his teeth…

"Oh my goddess," Ororo breathed.

"What…?" Jean started to say, but couldn't finish.

"Congratulations, you've just met your first vampire," Xander quipped.

"V-vampire?" Jean tried again. "B-but they're not real."

Angel forced his demon back, feeling his face return to normal as his heightened senses faded into the background. "Are you saying that I am not real?" he asked. "I am a vampire. I have been a vampire for two hundred and fifty years. Yes, I am technically dead, and yes, I drink blood to survive."

"But you don't drink from people," Buffy clarified. "If you did, I'd have to stake your ass, and you know I could," she teased, but there was an undertone of seriousness.

Angel tipped his head in acknowledgement of her statement. "Buffy's right. I don't feed from people any more. All of you are safe."

Jean was pale and even Ororo looked stunned. Buffy looked at Scott. "Scotty, take them outside. Let them pull themselves together, and then we'll finish this."

Scott nodded and took both of his friends by the arms, pulling them out of the room with him and closing the door behind himself. Angel moved to the door and listened for a moment, before turning back to Buffy. "All right, Buffy. Can you please tell me what is going on?"

"Professor Xavier is dying, Angel. Or, that was the impression that I got from Scott earlier, at least. I'm not sure what's going on, but you and Scott and Xander were there when the Master got him, and Giles and Willow are the research experts. We'll figure this out, and then I'll stomp it flat."

* * *

"Jean? Are you okay?" Scott asked, pulling his girlfriend close after he closed the door to Buffy's room. He looked over at Ororo, but she just waved him towards Jean. She seemed to be much more composed about the whole thing, but then again, the weather witch had seen enough in her life to not rattle easily.

"No, Scott. I'm not. What we just saw…it's not possible. And the Professor...we're wasting time when we should be trying to help him."

Scott shook his head. "No, we're not wasting time. It's all true, Jean. I was skeptical too, but it's all true. Professor Xavier and I were attacked two nights ago, and Angel saved us. That's how I found out. It's all real Jean. Buffy will help us. She wants to help us, and she and her friends might have answers that we need to save Xavier."

Jean looked at him intently. "How?"

Scott smiled. "Let's go find out, all right?"

* * *

Buffy and her friends looked up as Scott and the others slipped quietly back into the room. The Slayer looked intently at Scott's girlfriend, and saw a tentative acceptance laced with heavy skepticism, but for now, the acceptance would be enough.

"All right. You've seen that vampires are real. They exist, and they are part of the reason that Professor Xavier is like this," Buffy began. "Now, we need to know everything that you know, and we'll tell you everything that we know, and together we can find out what did this and how to stop it in time to save the Professor."

"One thing I don't understand," Ororo asked, before anyone else could say anything, "is what you have to do with all of this, Buffy. Why did the Professor have to help you? I know if you were in trouble he would have, of course, but what was the reason?"

"I fought a vampire. He bit me, I died for a short time, I was revived, I kicked his ass, and he found some way to trap my mind to try to mentally torture me to death," Buffy answered shortly, her face tight as she remembered everything.

Jean shook her head. "Why were you fighting a vampire, and why is there a vampire here?"

"Angel's a good guy, even if he is a vampire. And it's my job to fight vampires. I'm the Slayer."

"The Slayer?" Ororo asked.

Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Giles, you're on."

The older man cleared his throat and looked at the two women. "The world is older than you know…" he began.

"Ack! Giles, no! Just give them the part about the Slayer!" Buffy interrupted.

"Oh, very well." He cleared his throat again. "Into every generation, there is a Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. Essentially, there has always been a Slayer, the reason that vampires haven't overwhelmed the world. She fights alone, with her Watcher as her guide and trainer, and upon her death, another girl is Chosen. There has always been a Slayer, and there always will be a Slayer."

"And Buffy's the current Slayer," Angel finished.

Jean looked at the young teenager, sitting in her hospital bed. She looked weary, but Jean could sense a strength in her, unlike anything she'd ever sensed before. She had power, and it was apparent that she knew how to use it. She sighed. "All right. I believe you." She wanted to talk to this girl more at length, but not now. When this was all over, then she could think about how vampires and Slayers would affect her world.

Buffy nodded, recognizing the look in Jean's eye. When this was over, she'd help the older woman come to terms with tonight's revelations. Scotty obviously loved her, and it was the least she could do after springing all of this on them.

"Okay, let's compare notes," Buffy began. With the help of Giles and her friends, she explained to the two women about what had happened in her fight with the Master, and how she had died, only to be brought back by Xander so she could kick the Master's ass, and how that had resulted in her coma.

Both Jean and Ororo were looking at her in amazement when she was finished with her part of the story, and then Scott explained to them about what the Professor had theorized and done, and how they had saved Buffy with his help.

"How do you deal with things like that every day?" Jean asked, stunned at the revelations of the past hour.

"Fortunately, fights of that magnitude are not every day occurrences," Giles pointed out. "Now, perhaps you can tell us what you know of the Professor's injury."

Jean glanced at Scott and raised her eyebrows in question. He nodded. _They know, Jean. They know we're all mutants_, he thought at her.

Jean sighed, but nodded. "Scott told me that you know we're all mutants." She paused and waited for confirmation. When heads nodded among the Slayer and her friends, she continued. "I'm not sure if Scott explained what our powers are, so I'll just tell you quickly. Scott produces optic blasts from his eyes by absorbing solar power. Ororo can manipulate the weather at will and call upon the winds to allow her to fly. Professor Xavier is the world's most powerful telepath. I'm also a telepath, but my main strength is telekinesis."

The small group of friends murmured in appreciation at the array of powers. Buffy grinned. "Oh, I can think of a ton of uses for all of those abilities. You're all lucky."

Before Jean could comment, Giles spoke up. "Dr. Grey…"

"Jean."

Giles smiled briefly. "Jean. Scott said that you could sense that something had gotten past the Professor's shields. Is that correct?"

Jean thought about how to phrase her answer. "Do you have paper? I think I can draw out what I mean so that you all understand what I can sense and how serious this is."

"Of course." Giles pulled out several sheets of paper and handed her a pen.

"All right." Jean moved over to the end of the bed and borrowed Buffy's table tray as she drew a small circle and darkened it completely. "Think of this circle as the essence of your consciousness. It's the place where your personality comes from, and it is, essentially, the core of your being." She glanced up to see if they were all following her.

When she received nods, she continued. "Every person in the world has a set of shields that protects this part of the mind, even if you're not a telepath. Most people don't realize that they have them, because they are a natural defense. When you are cautious about sharing your thoughts with other people, or you feel like you need to protect yourself, you are, for all intents and purposes, hiding your core behind this natural set of shields. For most people, that is sufficient for their needs."

"But not for telepaths?" Willow asked.

Jean shook her head. "No. Control and protection are the two most important things about using telepathy properly. If a telepath does not have a firm grasp of those concepts and how to apply them, they can be easily overwhelmed and driven mad by other people's thoughts."

She drew a light circle around the outside of the darkened circle. "Picture this circle as the shield that most people keep around their core." Going back over it again and again, she darkened it dramatically. "This is the representation of the core shields of a telepath of average level strength, like myself."

She picked up a second sheet of paper and retraced the diagram, only this time she darkened the circle representing the core shields until the ink almost bled through the back of the paper. "This is a representation of the power of Professor Xavier's shields."

She looked up at the Scoobies. They were studying the drawings in surprise. "Now, that is just his core shields. Most telepaths, myself and the Professor included, use layers of shields for extra protection." On both drawings she drew another, larger circle around what she had already sketched onto the paper, and then a second one around that.

"Having different layers of shields offer different protections, and give the telepath more control over what they pick up from other people and when they receive it, and also allow them to control how much of their own thoughts they send out to others. For example, I use this same pattern of shields. The outermost layer protects me from receiving when I don't want to, but if I lower that shield, take it away, I can receive other people's thoughts, if I want. The second layer of shields protects my own thoughts. That's why I can read minds without projecting my own thoughts into other people's minds."

"And this is what Professor Xavier does as well?" Giles asked, looking fascinated.

Jean nodded. "Yes, although his shields are much stronger than my own, and his control is finer. He can do things with his telepathy that I can only dream of." She paused to gather her thoughts. "Because he is so powerful, Professor Xavier _always_ has his mind carefully guarded, and even knows how to enter other people's minds while maintaining his shields, albeit at a very low level."

"So what does this have to do with what you sensed?" Xander asked, looking from the sketches to Jean.

"Professor Xavier works with me every day, helping me develop my telepathy," Jean answered. "I know his shields better than anyone. You might say that we have a slight psychic bond because we work so closely together. He can find me anywhere on the planet if he chooses to. He reached out to me last night, back at the school, and asked for help, so Ororo and I came out to see what was going on. When we got here and found out that he was unconscious, I attempted to find him on the Astral Plane, to ask him what was wrong so I could help him. But when I probed his thoughts, I discovered that, for all intents and purposes, his mind has splintered. His shields are completely gone, and there's no trace of him left."

She felt her throat tightening up but forced it back. "Essentially, all that's left in that room is a shell. His mind is only intact enough to keep himself alive, but I can't reach him." She looked at the others. "The only way that could happen is if something at least three times as powerful as he was managed to breach his shields and tore his psyche apart. I _know_ it's not a mutant that could have done this, because we would know if there was a mutant that powerful running around."

"How do you know?" Xander asked. "By definition, wouldn't a mutant that powerful be able to hide itself from anyone weaker than it?"

"Ordinarily, yes, but we're not talking about raw power here. We're talking skill. It would take years for a mutant to learn the kind of control necessary to break through the Professor's shields and do this kind of damage. Plus, Professor Xavier has ways of tracking mutants, and any new mutant with this kind of power would be obvious to his methods before learning to control and shield itself," Jean said.

"Which leaves the supernatural," Giles finished. He looked thoughtful. "Off hand, I have never heard of any type of demon or vampire that has that kind of power."

"What do we do, then?" Scott asked, his hand clenched into a nervous fist.

Buffy and her friends looked at each other, and on cue, as one, chimed out, "Research!"

* * *

_Two hours later…_

Jean looked up from a book that Mr. Giles had handed her and shook her head, trying to clear it of the myriad of strange facts that she had been reading about. _How can the world at large not know about all of this?_ she wondered to herself.

Her eyes fell on Buffy, who was perusing a book of her own, but her attention seemed to be diverted and she kept glancing up, looking out the window, looking at her friends. No one else seemed to have noticed her distraction, but Jean could tell, by the way she was twisting her hands in her sheets and fiddling with the pages of the book that she wasn't fully devoted to the search. For a moment, her anger flared up at the young girl. After all, wasn't Professor Xavier hurt because he had been trying to help her?

Buffy seemed to sense Jean's gaze on her and raised her eyes from the page she was trying to read and met the redheaded mutant's gaze evenly. Two pairs of green eyes met, one filled with worry and anger, and the other pair looking strangely vulnerable and frightened, not to mention distracted.

The look in Buffy's eyes stopped Jean's anger in its tracks, as she sucked in a quiet, startled breath. _What am I doing?_ Jean wondered, realizing just how young Buffy was as she saw that vulnerability. That girl had been through hell, and here _she_ was, annoyed that Scott's cousin didn't seem to be devoting her full attention to what she was doing. _What kind of a person am I, if I can get so angry about something so minor?_ It was easy to forget, under the guise of the Slayer, that Buffy was only sixteen.

Jean thought for a moment, and then reached out her thoughts to Buffy. _**You shouldn't have to carry this burden, Buffy**_, she thought kindly, watching with mild amusement as the Slayer's eyes widened in surprise. _**I wish there was something I could do to help you**_, she continued.

_I'll be fine, but thanks_, Buffy thought back hesitantly, hoping that Jean could sense what she was trying to say.

Jean smiled in understanding and gave a small nod to the girl. Something caught her attention and she probed it lightly. To her surprise, it was a psychic bond between the Slayer and Angel. More surprising was the fact that it was not a natural bond like the one that she had with the Professor, which had developed because of how closely they worked together. It was artificially created, and Jean could sense Xavier's handiwork in it. Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Buffy, did you see Professor Xavier at all on the Astral Plane?"

Everyone looked up from their books at the sound of Jean's voice. Buffy frowned and shook her head. "No, why do you ask?"

"I can sense traces of him still in your mind," Jean explained, deciding not to mention the psychic bond. She didn't know why the Professor had chosen to create the bond. Angel and Buffy couldn't have asked for it, with Buffy in a coma, so there had to be an ulterior motive, and she thought that she knew what it was. "Who did Professor Xavier bring with him when he went to the Astral Plane?" she asked, looking around the room.

"Xander, Angel, and myself," Scott answered, looking interested. "Why?" Jean quickly probed his thoughts. He felt her testing his shields, and lowered them, wondering what she was looking for. A moment later, he couldn't sense her any more, but her face looked more and more excited. "Jean?"

Suddenly she laughed, and it was a laughter of pure relief. She shook her head in amusement, and her thoughts lightly brushed his again. "I know what Professor Xavier did, and it probably saved his life."


	18. Sticky Solutions

_Chapter Eighteen: __**Sticky Solutions**_

"_If I could only read your mind, tell me the answer I would find"  
- Michael W. Smith "Do You Dream of Me"_

Angel, Scott, and Xander all looked at Jean in shock. "He did _what?!_ Xander asked, finally, his voice coming out in a strangled croak.

"He did something that I can barely comprehend, but I see the logic in it," Jean explained. "When he linked with each of you to bring you with him, he essentially bonded your minds together. Had you all returned in the same way that he took you in, he could have severed that link easily and there wouldn't be any lingering traces in your mind like I am sensing. When the Master attacked you, however, he literally fractured his core and sent a small piece of it into each of you, hidden in the link that he formed when he took you with him."

"What would that have accomplished?" Giles asked, looking fascinated.

"The only way to access the Astral Plane is by being a telepath," Jean began. "Buffy, you were not technically on the Astral Plane when the Master trapped you, you were trapped in your own mind."

"Isn't it the same thing?" the Slayer queried.

"Most people would say 'yes' if they were asked, but to a telepath, they are two completely separate things," Jean answered. "In order to bring your friends to you, Professor Xavier _did_ bring them through the Astral Plane to find you, because that was the easiest way to reach you." She shook her head in amazement. "I've _never_ heard of a telepath being able to take three other people with him through the Astral Plane to reach someone. It takes all a telepath's skill to navigate the Astral Plane successfully as it is, but to do it while linked to _three_ others?" She shook her head again. "I knew Professor Xavier was powerful, but that alone is almost beyond my comprehension."

"So how do we get him back?" Ororo asked.

"That's where it's going to get tricky," Jean admitted.

"What do you mean? Am I going to have his thoughts messing with my mind forever?" Xander asked, panicking a little at the thought.

Jean shook her head. "No, of course not. I do not intend to leave here until we have him back. The only problem is, I'm only an average level telepath, and I don't know if I have the skill to extract the parts of his mind that he implanted in each of you and fuse them together again. I told you that the Professor can do things that I can only dream about. I would never have imagined that he would be able to split his mind the way he did without killing himself. Either his powers are continuing to increase as well, or there's something about this place and this situation that made it possible."

"His powers are increasing?" Buffy asked.

Jean nodded. "It happens with all of us. As mutants, our powers are part of our genetic make-up, and, to the best of our knowledge, are still evolving and strengthening. When I first came to Professor Xavier's school, I could barely levitate a teacup, but since then, my powers and my control have increased remarkably, to the point where I can levitate a full-grown man. Not easily, mind you, but I have done it."

"What do you need from us?" Angel asked.

Jean thought for a moment. "The only thing I can think of at the moment is for me to go into each of your minds and try to sort out where Professor Xavier has hidden himself." She sighed. "Unfortunately, it will be _very_ invasive, and I will probably see things that you would rather I didn't see. This is completely new territory for me, and honestly, I don't know if that will even work."

"Surely Professor Xavier wouldn't have done this if there wasn't a way for him to get back to himself," Giles pointed out. "Perhaps you can try to communicate with him and find out exactly what he did and what you need to do to help him."

Jean shook her head. "I've tried, but without knowing exactly how he split his mind, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I don't even know if he has any idea what we're discussing at the moment."

"How exactly would he have done this?" Giles asked.

Jean looked puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

"Err…I mean…ehm," he cleared his throat. "What would he have had to have done to make this possible? Is there some sort of ritual that he would have had to follow, so that he _didn't_ kill himself while doing it?"

Jean thought about it for a few minutes. "I can only theorize, really. I don't have anywhere near the power to accomplish something like this myself. If I had to guess, I would say that he formed a very light mental link with each of them. That would have allowed him to bring them along when he went to the Astral Plane. At some point while they were in Buffy's mind, he would have had to strengthen the link considerably."

Angel nodded slowly. "It must have been just before he forced the vision we were seeing to continue." The vampire looked up at the telepath. "Just after he forced the vision to continue, I had the sense that _something_ was trying to attack me, but I couldn't see anything."

Scott nodded in agreement. "Same here." He paled suddenly. "At one point, he screamed, like he was in excruciating pain, but I couldn't tell what might have happened."

Jean thought about this for a moment. "Scott, may I?" she reached out towards him, and he leaned towards her. She placed one hand on either side of his head. "Try to relax, and don't move." Closing her eyes, she got an intense look on her face.

The Scoobies looked at each other, puzzled, as Jean's face grew more and more grave. Her mouth was twitching in odd ways as she reacted to whatever she was doing. Finally, her eyes snapped open all of a sudden, and she jerked her hands away as if they were burned. Breathing heavily, she turned away from the rest of the room and shook her head as she tried to compose herself. Scott and Ororo were at her side immediately, steadying her and offering her the comfort of their friendship, and in Scott's case, love.

After several long moments, Jean took a deep, steadying breath and rolled her tense shoulders to relax herself before turning back to the rest of the group. She lightly touched each of her friends and they released her, moving back several steps so as not to crowd her personal space.

"Okay…what just happened?" Willow asked, confused.

"I used my powers to see Scott's memory of what happened when they went to save Buffy," Jean replied, her voice weary. "It was difficult to watch, and my telepathy isn't my strongest skill, which made it more difficult. Professor Xavier is much better at this type of information gathering, but if I'm going to help him, I needed to know as much as possible."

"Then shouldn't you probe Xander and Angel's memories too?" Willow asked.

Angel shook his head. "I don't know if she would be able to Willow. Professor Xavier mentioned that I had several very powerful natural defenses because I'm a vampire. He barely managed to get past them, even with my help. I don't know if Jean could duplicate it, if her powers are so much less powerful as she says."

"So what do we do?" Buffy asked.

Jean thought about it for a moment. "I have one idea, but it will be exceedingly dangerous, and I don't know if it will work." When the others looked at her curiously, she took a deep breath. "I can attempt to duplicate what Professor Xavier did."

There was utter silence for a moment. Scott was the first one to get a word out. "What?"

Jean took a deep breath. "Remember how I said that you had to be psychic to access the Astral Plane?"

Everyone nodded and Jean paused for a moment to organize her thoughts. "Scott, you and the others _are_ psychic."

* * *

_Professor Xavier's Room – One Hour Later_

"Are you sure about this, Jean?" Scott wondered as they all gathered in Professor Xavier's room. Proximity didn't really make a difference in this case, but Jean was taking no chances on anything going wrong. This was an all or nothing effort.

"No, Scott. I'm not sure, but it's the best idea I have, and for some reason, I have a feeling that it will work. I don't know why, and I can't give you any other proof other than my feelings and my knowledge of the Professor and how he thinks."

Scott looked at her measuringly for a moment, and then nodded. Turning back towards the Professor, he waited for her signal that she was going to start the process that she hoped would bring the Professor back to them.

Angel, Xander, and Buffy looked equally uncertain, but followed Scott's lead and prepared themselves. Giles and Willow were pressed into the corners of the room, observing, but not interacting.

_This has got to be the craziest thing we've ever tried_, Scott decided, trying to relax. He remembered how shocked everyone was when they heard Jean's plan.

"Jean, what do you mean we're all psychic?" Scott asked, dumbstruck at her calm certainty.

Jean simply smiled. "Didn't you wonder why you didn't come back to this plane when the Professor was bitten?" she asked. When he nodded, she continued. "The Astral Plane can only be accessed if you're psychic, and that's exactly what happened. Not only did Professor X put a portion of his mind in each of you, but he also gave you his psychic powers. So, with my help, I believe I can get you all back to the Astral Plane, and then we can help the Professor. It's not without risk, as I mentioned, but I can certainly bring all of you one at a time, and once you're there, you'll be able to stay there because of the Professor's powers."

Angel looked curious. "What do you need from us?"

"Simply your agreement to let me do this, and your cooperation." She looked over at Buffy. "Oh, and Buffy, you'll have to help too."

The Slayer's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

"You were there, and I believe that Charles gave you a bit of his mind as well, to help you fight the Master."

Buffy was already shaking her head no. "No way. I've spent enough time trapped in that nightmare world. I am never going back there."

"You have to Buffy. It's the only way to finish this."

Scott approached her bed and perched on the edge of it, picking up her hand and squeezing it gently. "Please Squirt?"

Buffy trembled slightly and continued to shake her head no. Scott twisted to look at the others, and tipped his head towards the door. They all took the hint and left the room quietly, leaving the two cousins alone.

"Buffy, you can do this. I'll be right there with you, and the Master is gone. He can't hurt you."

"You don't understand, Scotty," she breathed, her voice trembling as she fought back tears.

"Yes, I do. Don't you think that I have things I'm afraid of? I've been hurt before, Buffy, and there are some things I just cannot bring myself to do, no matter how hard I try to get over my fears. Parachuting, for one. Ever since the accident, just the thought that I might possibly have to do that again sometime scares the shit out of me." He shook his head. "My biggest fear though? My own powers."

Buffy looked up at him, not sure what he meant.

"Buffy, I have a lethal weapon behind each of my eyes, and my glasses are the only thing that block them. If my glasses were to get broken, or my power got too strong for them to contain, I would be a danger to every single person around me. Hell, one of our enemies almost made me kill someone just a few days ago."  
"What happened?"

"We were at the train station, looking for one of our students who had run away. We didn't know it at the time, but the mutant Magneto wanted her powers to accomplish his plans, so he drove her out of the school and went to kidnap her. Ororo and I were looking for her, and one of Magneto's flunkies used his power to rip my glasses off my face before I even realized he was there. I literally blew a hole in the train station roof, and without my glasses, I couldn't keep them from grabbing Rogue without risking hurting someone."

Buffy blinked at him. "Your powers scare you?"

Scott nodded. "Yes. What if Jean, or Ororo, or the Professor had been directly in the path of my beams when I lost my glasses? I could have killed them before I got control over my power by closing my eyes. My powers scare me to death, Buffy, and I have no control over them, and I never will. Jean, Ororo, Professor X…they're all lucky, because they have full control, but I am a very serious threat because I have to rely on my glasses to keep from being a danger, and even that doesn't do much."

Buffy lowered her eyes. Scott looked at her seriously. "Please, Buffy. I've told you how much the Professor means to me. I need him. Help me save him."

"Are you ready?"

Jean's voice broke through Scott's ruminations, and he nodded. Jean closed her eyes and he did the same thing, making sure his mental shields were down to allow her access. He sensed it when she entered his thoughts and took the mental 'hand' she offered him, feeling his contact with the physical world dissolve around him.

"Now what Jean?" he asked her.

"Wait here while I get the others. I'll be back," she promised, before disappearing.

One by one, Scott was joined by Xander and Buffy, who immediately walked over and hugged him. Her nerves were very apparent, and she was obviously looking to him for support.

After Buffy showed up, there was a very long wait. Finally, Angel and Jean appeared and Jean staggered as they solidified. Scott immediately went over to her and steadied her. "Jean?"

"I'm okay, Scott. Angel was right. He does have some powerful defenses. It took everything I had to hang on to him once I managed to link to him." She shook her head and blinked several times. "One more…"

He grabbed her arm, although that wouldn't really stop her from leaving. "Wait, everyone's here."

Jean shook her head. "Not the Professor." With that, she was gone and Scott was left holding empty air.

Scott sighed and headed back over to Buffy, only to find that Angel had gone to her when Scott was tending to Jean, and had his cousin firmly wrapped in his arms and was giving her what comfort he could. He had her head tucked under his chin and she was leaning against his chest, drawing on his strength and drinking in his scent.

Just then Jean reappeared again, and this time she was supporting the 'unconscious' form of Professor Xavier. With his mind so badly splintered, his Astral self had no more ability to act on this plane than his physical body did on the physical plane at the moment. Laying the Professor's prone figure on the ground, she knelt next to him and looked up at Buffy.

"Buffy, come here. I need you first."

The Slayer drew back a little in uncertainty. "Why?"

"I can only detect the faintest echo of the Professor in your mind. I believe he gave you the smallest fragment of himself, just enough power to allow you to defeat the Master. That will make what he gave you the easiest to reintegrate with his mind, and it will let me test what the best way to go about doing this is, without risking damaging his mind permanently," Jean explained. "Please, Buffy. This is brand new to me. I'm making this up as I go along, but this is the only thing I can think of that will help him."


	19. Mind Meld

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is just a little note. This chapter gets kind of confusing as far as what each type of font style means, so I thought I'd give you a quick reference for the first part of the chapter while Jean's helping Xavier.**

_If the text looks like this_ it means that we're on the Astral Plane.

**If the text looks like this** we're in a flashback while on the Astral Plane.

_**If the text looks like this**_ a telepath is speaking using their powers.

And if the text looks like this, it means that a non-telepath is thinking towards a telepath, not speaking verbally.

**I hope that's clear enough for everyone!**

* * *

_Chapter Nineteen: __**Mind Meld**_

It was eerie, Buffy decided. She could, somehow, sense Jean in her mind, probing her thoughts, seeking some sign that would help her locate the Professor and extract him from her mind. She forced herself to relax, although the whole feeling was rather unsettling.

I know, _Buffy thought back._ This is just really, really weird.

A new voice suddenly brushed Buffy's mind. It was definitely a man's voice, and it was kind and gentle, but overlaid with weariness and a hint of fright.

Jean…

Images and thoughts whirled past her and she did her best to ignore them and not probe into Buffy's personal thoughts, keeping her focus solely on the Professor. Every so often a particularly strong thought or memory would loom up in front of her and she'd see it before she could ignore it.

_Flash._

"You forget. Metal can't hurt me."

"There's something you forgot about too," she snapped back, making him hesitate. "Sunrise." Throwing the cymbal stand like a javelin, she watched as it impacted a blacked-out window, letting light spill into the room.

The vampire whirled, screaming as his hands came into contact with the light, before he suddenly stopped and looked from his hands to the light, puzzled. Then he stiffened as she rammed a stake into his back.

**Mr. Giles stood over her, as her vision hazed. She was so tired. His face was concerned and worried as he removed his tweed jacket and rolled it up, lifting her head and placing it underneath as a pillow. "I'm going to stop this. I promise. Just hang on."**

_Flash._

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay, and your mother…"

"We're both good. You?"

"If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed I'll be all right." He paused and looked down at her, his face turning more solemn. "Look…this can't…"

"I know, ever be anything. For one thing you're like two hundred and twenty-four years older than I am."

He nodded. "I just gotta…I gotta walk away from this."

"I know. Me, too." But she only stood there looking at him as he looked back. "One of us has to go here."

"I know."

Just before she broke contact with Buffy's mind, she reached out and linked with the girl, lightly, anchoring her on the Astral Plane. Then she pulled the Professor the rest of the way out, taking him into her own mind as she shifted her focus from Buffy's mind to his.

Plunging into his own mind, she dove towards his core, before releasing her hold on him and allowing the part of him that she had been holding to settle back into it's proper place. Reaching out with a tiny burst of telepathic power, she molded the edges of the tendril back into place, fusing it there and strengthening it so that the fracture could begin to heal on its own.

The Professor's consciousness dropped away from her as she released him and returned to her own mind.

Looking up at Buffy, she shook her head, exhausted by her efforts. Now that the smallest part of the Professor's mind had been salvaged from Buffy's thoughts, she knew that she could do this. The Professor himself would be able to help her more, as she recovered the larger fragments of his mind.

The others were looking at her in concern and Scott looked like he wanted to go to her side, but she shook her head and waved him off before turning to Buffy. "Buffy, I am going to take you back to the physical plane and then come back to do more." She looked back at the others. "Be patient. I'll be back in a moment." With that she rose to her feet and took Buffy's hand, neatly severing the link she had formed as she allowed her mind to drift back towards her body, pulling Buffy with her.

* * *

Buffy blinked and shook her head as the world resolved into focus around her. _Ugh, that was strange. How do Jean and Professor Xavier put up with it?_

"Buffy?"

"Hey Willow," Buffy replied to her friend.

"What happened? What was it like? Tell me everything! Telepathy sounds like such a cool ability to have! I'm so envious!"

"Whoa, slow down Willow. Oxygen good," Buffy teased.

"Sorry." Willow took several deep breaths. "What was it like?"

Buffy shrugged. "It was weird. I could feel Jean inside my head looking for Professor Xavier, and when he tried to talk to her, I could hear his voice, and her replies." She shivered a bit. "It was totally bizarre. I don't envy them their abilities. I'm perfectly happy being the Slayer and just having to deal with extra strength, rapid healing, and weapons skills."

"Still…it must be a very intimate experience. I wonder if Scott and Jean ever…while they're…" Willow blushed.

Buffy stared at her friend. "Okay, there is no way I am going to ask him that. I have no desire to know about my cousin's sex life or lack of one as the case may be."

"May be what?" Scott asked, shaking his head as he pulled himself a little more upright in his chair, shaking his head carefully.

Both girls blushed bright red and Giles removed his glasses and began to polish them. "Nothing, Scotty," Buffy managed. "Did it work?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah. It was kind of strange, knowing that the Professor was right there all this time. I wonder if he was aware of the things you and I were talking about?"

"You should ask him," Buffy said seriously. "I think you and he are overdue for a long conversation, Scott. Have you ever told him all that stuff that you told me?"

Scott shook his head. "No. I mean, I've thought about it a lot, and it wouldn't surprise me if he knew about it because he picked it up with his telepathy, but we've never really discussed it."

"You should. I think he would appreciate hearing it from you," Buffy said after a moment. She wasn't sure why this felt so important. _Maybe it's because I was sharing my mind with him, no matter how subtly? Could he have influenced me in some ways?_ She thought about what she had heard in that soft voice. There had been kindness and compassion, gentleness and peace, but also determination and hope. Overlaying all of those 'tones' had been a hint of fear and worry, and exhaustion. _I think I want to talk to him when he's better. I need to know what's going on in my head. If he's influenced me in some way…I think I'd like to stop it. I don't like not knowing if this is me or him in here._

* * *

Jean settled back into her mind for the last time, withdrawing the last tendrils of her telepathy from the Astral Plane and slumping as exhaustion hit her like a hammer between the eyes. She didn't want to move for a month.

"Jean?" Scott was leaning over her, looking tired, but alert enough, despite the worry she could see on his face.

"I'm all right, Scott. Just tired. That was hard work."

"Did it work?" Ororo asked, kneeling next to her friend and touching her arm lightly.

Jean nodded slowly. "I think so. All we can do now is wait and see. His mind still needs to heal. It was badly fractured, but I did what I could to give him a head start. Now that all the pieces of his mind are together, it shouldn't take long for him to heal." She looked over at the form of her friend and mentor lying quietly on the bed. His chest was rising and falling steadily now, as if he was slumbering. Using the last of her energy, she sent out a very light telepathic probe, and nodded. "He's just sleeping now. He'll have to rebuild most of his shields after he wakes up. That's one thing I can't do for him."

She slumped further into her chair as she withdrew her telepathic probe. Scott was immediately beside her and he scooped her into his arms. "Come on. Let's go back to Aunt Joyce's. You need to sleep too."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "That sounds wonderful, Scott."

"Storm, can you get the keys to my rental out of my jacket? You're going to have to drive. I won't be able to see."

The white-haired weather witch nodded and returned carrying Scott's jacket in one hand and his keys in the other. "What about your cousin and her friends?"

Angel looked up. "I'll get them all home safely." He staggered to his feet. Trying to allow Jean access to his mind had drained him, but he still had enough strength to get the rest of Buffy's friends home before sunrise.

"Buffy has to stay here at least until tomorrow," Scott said, looking at his cousin, who, drained from the last few days, was dozing lightly in her chair. He walked over to her side and, shifting Jean in his arms to free up one of his hands, he rested it on her shoulder. "Hey, wake up Squirt. You need to get back to your own room."

"Hmm? Scotty?" Buffy muttered as she slowly woke.

"Come on, Squirt. I'll tuck you in before we head home." Reaching down, he took Buffy's hand and pulled her to her feet, turning her so she faced the door, as the rest of Buffy's friends all gathered up their things and staggered towards the door as well. Angel looked tired too, but he was obviously in better shape than any of them, except for Ororo.

"Okay…" Buffy was already almost asleep again, even though she was on her feet.

He gently steered her out of the room and down the hall. Setting Jean down on a chair in the waiting room, he scooped Buffy up and carried her into her hospital room, laying her in the bed and covering her with the light blanket. Bending over, he kissed her forehead as she drifted off immediately. "Sleep well, Buffy. I'll see you in the morning."


	20. Heart to Heart

**Author's Note: To all my loyal readers: My sincerest apologies for the delay in posting. I know I had only promised one night without an update, but these last few days have been so crazy, I haven't had a chance to sit down and pound this chapter out to do justice to it. Unfortunately, last Friday I lost my job, and I've been spending the last few days trying to find another one. I still don't have one, since my hometown is rather economically depressed at the moment, but I have made some progress, so updates should return to their regularly scheduled times. Again, I just want to apologize for the delay, and I want you to know this story has never been far from my mind, even though my focus has been on finding a new job so I can pay my bills.**

_Chapter Twenty: __**Heart to Heart**_

"_Heart speaks to heart in the depths of the darkness"  
-Mercedes Lackey "Windrider Unchained"_

She woke suddenly, all her attention focused on her surroundings. The room was dark, but with her enhanced senses, she could easily make out the shape of the room's furnishings. The room was empty, except for her and the furniture and monitoring equipment, which had been disconnected after she woke from her coma.

_What's going on?_ she wondered, sitting up in the bed and reaching for the small lamp hanging on the wall above the bed. Snapping it on, she flooded the dark room with light, but nothing had changed from when she had looked around in the darkness. She glanced at the clock next to the bed. The neon display read six a.m.

She was wide awake now, and knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep tonight. She would normally be up in an hour or so anyway. She couldn't figure out what had woken her though. Tossing the blanket back, she slid her feet to the floor, finding the cheap hospital slippers where she had left them earlier. She stood slowly, making sure she had her balance before taking a step. Fortunately, her Slayer healing had worked wonders on her once she had been broken free from her coma, and she could tell that she was nearly back to normal.

Walking to the door of her room, she poked her head out. The hall was dark and quiet, but her enhanced hearing picked up noises coming from the Professor's room. She hesitated for a minute, and then moved down the hallway, pausing as she reached the open door of the room.

Professor Xavier was still asleep, but it was not a restful sleep. His head tossed fitfully on the pillow, and even in the darkness Buffy could see the gleam of sweat beading on his brow. She hesitated again, and then moved over to the side of the bed. She reached out and laid a hand on the man's shoulder and shook him ever so slightly. "Professor?"

He woke at her light touch and quickly pulled away as far as he could. Breathing heavily, he blinked up at her through the darkness. "Who-?"

"It's all right. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Buffy, Scott's cousin."

He squinted at her for a moment and then suddenly relaxed. "My apologies, child."

She reached for the lamp and turned it on, blocking the glow with her body so that his eyes could adjust without being blinded. After several moments, she turned back to him, and saw him trying to maneuver into a sitting position. She reached for the controls for the bed and raised the head of it for him, which made the task a little easier.

"Thank you, Buffy."

She smiled. "You're welcome, I guess. Are you all right? You looked like you were having a nightmare."

His smile, when returned was weak, but genuine. "Yes. I was just picking up thoughts from other people around me, and it was rather jumbled and very disturbing, to say the least."

"The disturbing part probably came from me," she admitted. "My dreams are not exactly pleasant most of the time."

"Understandable." He fell quiet for a moment, a look on concentration on his face. "There," he breathed finally. "That's better." His whole body relaxed and he looked much more comfortable. He looked over at her. "It has been so long since I lowered my shields, I was not accustomed to being bombarded by the thoughts of everyone around me."

Buffy just shrugged. She thought she understood the basics of what Jean had tried to explain to them about telepathic shielding, although personally she couldn't see that it made much difference. She shifted her weight slightly, and Xavier noticed. "Please, sit down my dear. I'd like to speak to you, if you don't mind."

"I'm all right."

He smiled wryly. "I do not believe that was what I asked." He nodded towards the chair that he was sure Scott had been camped out in. "Please, sit."

Buffy hesitated for a long moment, but finally stepped over to the chair and took a seat on the edge of it. To Xavier, she looked like she was ready to flee, although why she should be so nervous was beyond his comprehension at the moment. His powers were still too weakened, as were his shields, for him to attempt to ascertain her thoughts with his telepathy. After several minutes of silence, he finally spoke. "Scott speaks very highly of you."

That earned him a wry smile. "Scott doesn't know the half of it."

"Tell me Buffy," he began. "Why do you keep your secret from those who love you?"

Buffy pursed her lips in thought. "You mean Scott and my mom?" When he nodded. "Well, Scott knows now, and in truth, I'm glad he does. But my mom?" She shook her head. "Is it fair to her to know the truth? To watch me go out night after night, trying to get myself killed? Wondering if she will ever see me again?" She sighed. "No. It's better all around if she doesn't know." Her smile was forced when she continued. "Besides, the Slayer fights alone."

"Your friends help you," he pointed out gently.

"They help with the research and the plotting, but when it comes down to it, _I'm_ the Slayer. I'm the one that has to fight." She was quiet as she gazed at her hands. "I'm the only one who _can_."

Xavier shook his head. "That's not true, Buffy. You may be the Slayer, but that doesn't mean you have to stand alone. Scott will help you if you ask for it, as will I."

She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for what you and Scott have already done for me. You both saved my life, and I won't forget that. But you both have responsibilities in New York. You can't stay here and baby-sit me."

"No, we can't," Xavier acknowledged. "But we can provide a listening ear and advice when it is asked for, and if more assistance is needed beyond that…well, all you need to do is ask."

Buffy nodded, and silence fell in the room. Finally, she broke it. "Professor…why did you do that?"

He looked at her, uncertain what she meant.

"I mean, why did you risk your life to help me? I appreciate it, of course, but frankly, I've always known that there will be a day when no one can save me. I _will_ die, and as a Slayer, it will probably happen sooner than I would like."

"I helped you because I _could_, Buffy. I helped you because Scott, who is like a son to me, asked me to." He met her eyes with his own and firmly, so that there was no doubt in her mind, stressed his point. "Slayer or no, Buffy, _everyone_ has a right to live long, full, and happy lives, and you are no exception to that."

"That may have been the case once," Buffy replied. "Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that the life of a Slayer is a short one. However you look at it, I am on borrowed time."

Xavier reached out and caught her hand in his, squeezing it firmly. "No, Buffy. You have friends and family who love you. As long as you have that, you will prevail."

"I'd like to believe that, I really would. But there will always be monsters out there gunning for me, and one day, I will meet the thing that I cannot defeat, and I will die, and another Slayer will come."

Xavier sensed that she was growing morose, especially given her near-death experience. There would be time enough to discuss this later, when she had had a chance to fully assimilate what had happened and had gained some distance from that. But one thing that he was sure of was that he wouldn't let her fight alone, and he knew that Scott wouldn't either, now that they knew the truth.

She was the one to interrupt his thoughts. "Professor? I was wondering…why did you choose to put part of yourself into me?" She hesitated. "I mean, why did you split your mind the way you did, knowing it could kill you?"

"It was a risk," he admitted. "But at the point when I did it, even though you had been freed from the Master's visions, you were not yet out of danger, and I knew you would still need Scott to help you find the strength to beat him. I had not counted on how much power the Master commanded and I had barely managed to beat him back long enough for your friend Xander to pull you back. When he grabbed me, I knew that if I didn't do something drastic, the others would be pulled away from your mind, because they didn't have the power to keep themselves there. I did have that power, and I could give it to them."

"But why me?"

"To help you find that last bit of inner strength, to help you realize that your mind was your own to control, and that _you_ could defeat the Master's spirit once and for all."

"Will…will there be any side effects?" she wondered, hoping he wouldn't take offence.

Xavier sighed. "I do not know. This is not something I would have chosen to do if there had been any other way, and I do not know how deeply we may have linked. You may find that you have some of my memories, and I may have acquired some of yours. If that is the case, they should fade in time. I only placed a small fragment of myself in your mind, so any side effects should be minimal, compared to what I gave to Scott. He took the brunt of the fracturing, because he trusts me implicitly and he is familiar to me. Angel simply had too many defenses for me to give him much, and Xander…" he shook his head. "For all that Xander has seen since he met you, in many ways he is still innocent. You have seen the darker sides of the world, Angel has lived it and contributed to it, and Scott and I are very close. I couldn't burden Xander with my own memories and horrors."

Buffy nodded in understanding. "But other than a few random memories, there won't be any side effects?"

"I honestly do not know my dear. Give me some time to heal, and to rebuild my shields, and I should be able to tell you more accurately. If there is anything beside a few of my memories, I can go back into your mind and remove them so that you are not burdened by them."

Buffy nodded.

"There is something else troubling you, besides your recent experiences," he noted.

Buffy bit her lip, wondering if she should say anything.

"Whatever you say to me, I will keep in confidence, Buffy. I have almost fifty students about your age, and I try to make time to listen to them and offer them advice whenever they need it," he assured her.

"It's Scott," she finally admitted.

"What about him?" Xavier asked, concerned about what might have happened to his student during his incapacitation.

Buffy hesitated again, trying to figure out how to frame her concerns so that the Professor would not take offense. "He was very worried about you…but I think he blames himself for what happened to you."

"How so?"

"He…feels that it wasn't his place to ask you to help me, especially since you were still recovering from an illness. I believe he also feels guilty about everything that he's taken from you over the years. I think he feels he owes you a debt for the education, the home, the job, and the leadership you've given him, and then, when you were hurt helping me…well…"

Xavier nodded. He was well aware of Scott's penchant to brood about things that he could not control, and he knew that the younger man did feel guilty and feel like he was taking advantage, but they had never discussed it. Xavier had always hoped that Scott would come to him so that they could talk about it, but he had not. Given this latest incident, Xavier knew that it was past time for him to have a long discussion with Scott.

"In truth, my dear, I was not recovering from an illness, but from an attack," Xavier informed her.

Buffy looked puzzled, and Xavier explained. "For several years now, I have been at odds with Eric Lensherr, the mutant you may know as Magneto. We were once close friends, but our opposing viewpoints over how mutants are treated in society has driven us apart. I believe that there is still hope that mutants can be accepted, but Eric believes that society will only hate us and try to destroy us."

He shook his head. "He is determined not to let that happen, and, as you can tell from the incident at Liberty Island, will go to any means to prevent it. Knowing that my students and I would do our best to stop him, he hoped to distract them by taking me out of the equation. He sent one of his associates into my school with a toxin designed to incapacitate me, and he succeeded. Jean felt that I should come out here with Scott to rest and recover once the toxin was purged from my system. Since we did not want to make the situation known, Scott and I decided that an illness would be the easiest way to explain any lingering symptoms of the attack."

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment as she studied her hands. "Will it ever get better?"

For a moment, he was puzzled at her meaning. "I'm sorry?"

She looked up at him and he could see her fighting back tears. "The nightmares, the fear…will they ever go away? I've seen so much death and violence in the last two years…"

He understood. "The mind is a remarkable thing, Buffy. It can heal itself, given enough time. But what will really allow you to heal is your spirit. You have a bright, passionate spirit. You may not like what you have become, but you get up every day and go out every night and fight to help others, because you have a spirit that is not broken. Memories may plague you, and you may encounter things that leave you shivering in the darkest parts of the night, but as long as your spirit is bright and unbroken, there is nothing you cannot face."

He opened his arms to the Slayer, who looked like nothing more than a scared little girl with an all-too heavy burden on her shoulders, and after hesitating for a moment, she accepted his offer and moved to sit on the edge of his bed, allowing him to fold her into his arms. He rocked her slightly, and felt her draw closer into the safety he offered.

"Believe in your own strength, Buffy, and in the power of your mind and your spirit, and you'll be able to cope," he whispered into her ear as he held her tight, just as if she was a daughter or a beloved niece.

* * *

_Later that morning…_

"Scott, we need to talk," Xavier said when Scott poked his head into his room.

"About what, sir?" Scott asked as he took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

"I spoke to Buffy early this morning, and she mentioned that you feel responsible for what happened to me," Xavier said kindly, noting how Scott tensed up. Apparently, Buffy's assessment of her cousin was correct.

"It's nothing, sir. Buffy was mistaken."

Xavier shook his head. "No, she wasn't, Scott. I've been aware of your feelings for some time now, not just about this incident, but about all the years we've been working together and how you feel about everything I've offered you. I was hoping that you would have come to me before this so that we could discuss it, but since you haven't, I decided that it was past time for us to talk."

* * *

"Hey, Buffster. How's the hospital food today?" Xander asked cheerfully as he entered the room with Willow. 

"It sucks. I'm dying for a plate of Mom's pancakes with butter and maple syrup," Buffy admitted easily, poking at her plate of watery scrambled eggs.

"Have the doctors said how long they want to keep you here?" Willow asked, sympathetically.

Buffy sighed. "They seem to think that my recovery was a miracle, and they want to run all kinds of tests on me. I'm going to beg Mom to take me home today when they release Professor Xavier."

"What does your Mom say about your sudden recovery?" Willow asked, curiously.

"I think she's just too grateful for the fact that it seems to be a miracle to question anything," Buffy said with a sigh. "In all honesty, I'm glad. The last thing I need is her poking around and maybe finding out about everything."

Both of her friends nodded in understanding. They knew how much Buffy hated the idea that her mom might find out about the Slaying, and how desperate she was to keep it secret.

Buffy looked down at her plate for a moment, suddenly uncomfortable. "Willow…do you mind if I talk to Xander for a few minutes?" She paused. "Alone?"

Xander seemed surprised, but Willow nodded and slipped out of her chair. "I'll just go visit Professor Xavier and see if he wants to talk about his theories with me, like he suggested a few days ago."

Buffy smiled weakly. "Thanks, Will."

* * *

Scott looked very uncomfortable. "Is it really necessary, sir?" 

Xavier nodded. "Yes, it is." He was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Scott, I don't know if you realize it, since I'm not very vocal about my feelings, but for the longest time now, I've looked at you as the son I've never had." He paused again, knowing that he had Scott's attention. "I've never had a real family, and over the years, you and my other students have become the closest thing I think I'll ever have to a real family. I don't regret anything that I've given you over the years, and I want you to know that."

"Sir…Professor…" Scott began, dumbfounded by his mentor's confession.

Xavier shook his head, holding up his hand to forestall his student's comment. "Scott, I know that some of this is my fault. I should have told you years ago how I felt, but out of fear, I didn't. It seemed too good to be true, that after all these years, I had a family that I cared about, even if it wasn't a family bound by blood. I was afraid that if I admitted it to you or the others, it would all come crashing down around me, and I didn't know if I could take that. You've always seen me as strong and composed, but all it really has been was a desperate attempt to control what little happiness I've been able to find."

He paused again, forcing back the tears that were trying to break loose. "Scott, I may not show it as clearly as your parents did, or show it in the way you show Buffy and your Aunt, but I do love you. The things I've given you…it may have started out as charity, and with an ulterior motive, but now…now it's a true pleasure to give whatever I can for you, the son of my heart. I just wanted you to know that. During those last moments when we were helping Buffy, right before I fractured my mind, all I could think of was trying to figure out a way to survive, so that I could come back and tell you this, and make sure you understand just how much I love you, and that I will always be willing to do anything for you."

* * *

Xander and Buffy sat quietly in Buffy's room as Buffy tried to figure out what she wanted to say. Xander was curious, but he was also a little nervous too. He wasn't sure what his friend had in mind. 

"Xander…I'm sorry."

He wasn't exactly expecting _that_. He looked up at Buffy, who looked nervous and a little embarrassed. "For what, Buff?"

"For not going to the dance with you, for not seeing how much you care about me. I should have realized it a long time ago, but I was just content to have you and Willow as my best friends, knowing that you didn't care that I was the Slayer. My not wanting to go to the dance with you had nothing to do with Angel. It had everything to do with not wanting to risk our friendship if something went wrong. I know I told you that, and I really don't know if I can ever see you as anything more than one of my best friends, but I…well, I guess I tried to explain it the wrong way."

"Buffy, it's okay," Xander started to say.

Buffy shook her head. "Let me finish, please, Xander?" When he nodded, she took a deep breath. "I know I hurt you that day, but despite all that, you were still willing to help me when it came down to it. You would have had every right to write me off, and to not be my friend any more, but you still came after me. You saved my life that night, Xander, and I am grateful. And all this time, while I've been laying here fighting the Master, you still didn't give up hope that I'd be okay, and you were willing to come after me again, even though you had no reason to trust Scott or Professor Xavier." She smiled weakly at him again. "You've saved my life twice, Xander. As the Slayer, that's kind of embarrassing, but as Buffy…I really, really appreciate it." She looked down again. "I don't know if I can ever really repay you for that, but I just wanted you to know that I do appreciate everything you do for me. You keep me smiling when everything's going wrong, and you always stand by me…and I just wanted to say thank you, and I know it's totally not enough for everything you've done…but…thanks."

* * *

"Professor…I honestly had no idea that you felt like this," Scott said. "I probably should have realized it a long time ago. You had no reason to give me everything that you have over the years. I…" he paused for a moment. "I love you, too. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it, but when you were hurt by Magneto's toxin, and then here, helping Buffy…it just made me realize what an important person you've been in my life." 

He paused again, gathering his thoughts. "When you were hurt, all I could think about was how much I've taken from you over the years. You opened your home to me, and you gave me an education, control over my abilities, a home, a job…you've shared your family's wealth with me…I wouldn't even have met Jean if it wasn't for you. Then you got hurt helping my cousin, and all I could think of was that I'd asked you for something I had no right to ask you for, and it might cost you your life. But then I talked to Buffy, and she pointed out to me that it was your choice to help her, and that you did have a chance to say no, but that you did it for me, because you cared about me, and that made me realize just what I was going to be losing if I lost you."

He paused again, and Xavier wished he could see Scott's eyes. "I was so young when I lost my parents and Alex. Uncle Hank and Aunt Joyce were great until you came, but it wasn't the same thing. I was reluctant to open my heart to someone, because I wanted to treasure what memories I had of my parents. But now…when I think of my father, the first person who comes to mind isn't my dad…it's you. You've done so much for me, and I've never thanked you for it. I just wanted you to know that, and to know that I appreciate everything you've done over the years. I'm honored that you see me as your son, and I'm glad, because I couldn't imagine a better father than the one I have in you. I still miss my mom and dad, but if I had to lose them…at least I gained you."

* * *

"Buffy…" Xander was floored by her confession. 

"You don't have to say anything Xander. I just needed you to know that, and to know that I'm sorry for how I've treated you at times."

Xander smiled. "I know, and I appreciate the apology, even though you had no reason to apologize." He sighed. "I made the mistake when I asked you out. I knew that you really liked Angel, and it wasn't fair to ask you to choose between the two of us. I'd still like to date you some time, but if we're only ever meant to be friends…well…I guess that's okay too."

"Thanks, Xander," Buffy said with a small smile. "And I wouldn't be opposed to going out with you once, even if it's just to make up for what I said. I do like Angel, but I like you too, and I'm glad you're still willing to be my friend, because that's what I need more than anything.

She reached out her hand and grabbed his and pulled him closer. Leaning up, she kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."

**Author's Note: Okay, before anyone goes crazy, this is not going to become a Xander/Buffy! This was just my way of resolving something that bugged me in the first episode of Season 2. I never really cared for bitchy Buffy in that episode, and what she did to Xander was just wrong. Buffy never really sat down with Xander and thanked him for everything, and I think that's part of what led to the problems later in the series, so this was my way of tidying this up and resolving a personal peeve.**

**Also, the reason I didn't give Xander a big long confession was because I feel that he says everything that he needs to say when it needs to be said. Buffy has always been more reluctant to share her feelings with her friends, but Xander never really seemed to have trouble expressing himself.**


	21. Going Home

_Chapter Twenty-One: __**Going Home**_

"Oh, it's good to be home!" Buffy cried as she walked in the front door of her house. "I hate hospitals!" For the sake of appearances and to keep her Mom from getting suspicious, she was leaning on Scott's arm for "support" although her Slayer healing had restored her to normal. Her doctors had been reluctant to release her so soon, but Buffy had begged and pleaded, and finally, they had caved in, although they had told Joyce that Buffy was to rest for at least another week and to take it easy, and that she was to come in for a check-up at the end of the week. They couldn't believe how quickly she seemed to be recovering. Fortunately, most of her recovery seemed to be attributed to, ironically enough, her coma. Since none of her other injuries had been serious except for the blood loss, the doctors assumed that during the time she was unconscious her body had repaired whatever damage had been done, and the transfusion had taken care of the rest.

"Yes it is," Joyce said with a weary, relieved smile as she helped the Professor maneuver his wheelchair into the house. As she turned to hang up her coat and keys, behind her back, Buffy exchanged winks with Scott and the Professor. The planned conspiracy had worked, although they had modified the plan for use to get them all out of the hospital sooner, and that was fine with Buffy.

"Scott, help Buffy up to bed," Joyce continued as she turned back to her daughter and nephew. "I'll be up in a few minutes with something hot for you to eat, and then you're going to get some sleep," she said briskly.

Buffy groaned. "Mom, I'm fine! I can sit on the couch with everyone and talk!"

Joyce gave her a stern look. "You promised that you would rest for a week, remember?"

"Sitting is resting!" Buffy protested. "It's not like I'm gonna jump up all of a sudden and go lead the cheerleading squad or something! I was unconscious for four days! Now I want to spend time with my family."

"Buffy Anne Summers…"

Buffy heaved a sigh. "Fine. I'm going."

Scott grinned at his Aunt as he helped Buffy up the stairs. Once they reached the landing and turned the corner, he let her go and Buffy pulled away in relief. "Finally!" she said. "Mom worries too much!"

Scott frowned slightly. "She has the right to Buffy. She was very frightened for you while you were in that coma. We all were."

Buffy looked over at her cousin. "I know Scott. It's just so hard to pretend I'm still 'recovering' when I am all better. Yay Slayer healing. I could go out and fight vampires tonight with no problem, and that's more strenuous than cheerleading…even if Cordelia is leading the squad!"

He laid a hand on her shoulder and steered her towards her room and gently pushed her down onto the bed. "I know it's hard Buffy, but the only other alternative is for you to tell your mom the whole truth."

Buffy immediately shook her head. "I can't Scott. If she worried over this incident, how will she be the next time? Or how much will she worry when I'm out till 2 a.m. fighting vampires, or stopping apocalypses?" She sighed. "I'd love to tell her, I hate keeping this secret from her, but I can't put that burden on her."

Scott sat on the edge of the bed next to his cousin as she pulled the blankets up to her waist and flopped back against the pillows with a huff. "Shouldn't it be her choice, Buffy? You gave me that advice when I was worrying about Professor Xavier, doesn't the same thing apply to you?"

Buffy heaved a sigh. "Maybe, but I just can't do it, Scott."

"All right, well…get some rest Squirt. I'll come up later and we can play cards or watch T.V. or something, okay? Humor your mom for now." He tousled her hair, only to get his hand slapped. "Look at it this way, at least you get a week's reprieve from fighting vampires."

Buffy shook her head. "Sounds good in theory, but I'll be going stir crazy if I don't get out of here for a week."

Scott simply smiled and stood, grabbing his overnight bag and slipping out of the room. Now that Buffy was home, he couldn't take her bed, but he was sure his Aunt wouldn't mind if he slept downstairs on the couch. For the time being, he dropped his bag just inside the door of the guest room where Professor Xavier was staying, making sure it was out of the way so that it wouldn't block his mentor's wheelchair.

Descending the stairs quietly, he located his Aunt in the kitchen with Jean, Ororo, and the Professor, sharing a pot of coffee between themselves. Picking up a mug, he helped himself.

Joyce looked up from where she was making some soup for Buffy. "Is Buffy all right?"

"She's fine, Aunt Joyce. I got her tucked into bed, and told her to get some rest. Later I'll go sit with her and keep her entertained," Scott replied easily.

His Aunt smiled in relief and turned her attention back to the soup.

Jean took a sip of her coffee. "Professor, I think Ororo and I are going to head back to New York tomorrow morning."

Xavier nodded. "Who is watching the rest of the students?"

Ororo winced slightly. "We left Piotr, Bobby, John, and Rogue in charge, and they promised to keep everything in order." At the concerned expression on Xavier's face, Ororo hastened to reassure him. "We made sure we left them clear instructions and a way to contact us if it was necessary."

"Very well," Xavier said.

Joyce looked up. "You're leaving already? I thought this was going to be a vacation for all of you."

"We appreciate your hospitality, Mrs. Summers," Jean began.

"Call me Joyce, please."

"Joyce. But in all honesty, not all the students had left for the summer yet, and we really shouldn't leave them alone for too long. There'll be plenty of time for us to relax after they've all left."

"Besides," Ororo added, "as much as we appreciate your hospitality, the truth is that there isn't room for all of us to stay with you comfortably."

Joyce sighed, conceding the point. "I don't want you to feel like you aren't welcome here."

Jean rose and went to the weary woman. "Not at all. If we didn't have to return to the school, it would not be a problem for us to get a hotel room and stay longer, but we really cannot leave the students for too long. I trust them not to get into any mischief, but they are teenagers."

Joyce chuckled tiredly. "I suppose you're right."

Scott walked over and put his arm around his Aunt. "Aunt Joyce, go to bed. You're exhausted and Buffy is fine. I'll keep an eye on her."

"That sounds wonderful," Joyce admitted as she dished up soup for everyone, passing it around before dishing up some for Buffy. Placing it carefully on a plate so it wouldn't spill and digging some crackers and a bottle of water out, she carried the whole load upstairs.

Everyone left in the kitchen settled in to enjoy their lunch, finishing in record time. Jean and Ororo offered to clean up and shooed Scott and the Professor into the living room. Scott settled on the couch and reached for the remote control as the Professor picked up a book lying on the coffee table. Jean and Ororo joined them shortly, and the four friends spent the rest of the day quietly enjoying each other company, pleased that everyone had come through the last few days alive and well.

* * *

_That Evening…_

Scott yawned as he left the bathroom, heading down the hall so he could get some sleep. Jean, Ororo, and the Professor were all asleep, the Professor and Ororo sharing the guest room, while Joyce had taken a sleeping bag and unrolled it on the floor in Buffy's room. Scott was going to sleep on the couch downstairs and was heading that way when he heard a quiet _thump_.

Pausing, he looked around, listening for the source of the noise. Since he was standing in front of his Aunt's door, he cracked it open and peered inside, only to see her sound asleep for the first time in almost a week. Smiling, he closed the door and then checked the guest room, only to see Ororo and the Professor in a similar state of repose.

Frowning now, he turned back towards Buffy's room and opened the door. Jean was asleep, and he smiled at the sight of his girl, her long red hair spilling over the pillow Buffy had given her to use. His smile faded though as he took in the sight of his cousin, who was tossing and turning restlessly, but quietly, given how soundly Jean was sleeping.

Stepping quietly over to the bed, he carefully sat down on the edge, grateful for the moonlight that spilled into the room and allowed him to see what he was doing. Reaching out, he touched Buffy's shoulder. "Buffy? Wake up, Squirt."

* * *

Not again,

Water dripped from the stalactites on the ceiling and shadows danced in the slight air current as the flames of the candles stirred. She gripped her crossbow tightly as she stalked slowly through the cavern, seeking her prey. The Slayer part of her was awake and in control, even though her mind was screaming that this couldn't be real, that she had killed him!

"For someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide," she complained.

"I'm waiting for you. I want this moment to last."

"Yeah? Well, I don't."

"I understand."

No, no…please no! _she cried as she felt something grab her and pull her to a stop. "NO!" she screamed._

* * *

"NO!" Buffy screamed all of a sudden, her eyes flying open as her fist came up and impacted Scott square on the jaw, almost hard enough to dislodge his glasses, as he tumbled off the bed with the force of her punch.

Groaning as he hit the floor, Scott could only lay there for a moment, pain radiating from his jaw, and for a moment, he was certain that his cousin had broken it.

Jean snapped awake at the sound of the scream, automatically using her powers to turn on the light. She sat up, blinking in the sudden light as she took in the sight of Scott lying on the floor, his hand over his face.

There was the pounding of footsteps from the hallway, and a moment later Joyce burst into the room with Ororo right behind her. The Professor appeared just after them, stopping his chair in the doorway as he took in the sight.

Buffy had curled up into a ball, her head buried in her knees, rocking herself and crying softly. Scott was slowly raising himself off the floor as he adjusted his glasses, and everyone else was stunned.

"Buffy!" Joyce cried, running to her daughter's side and sitting on the edge of the bed, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her close. "What happened!"

Buffy only continued to rock herself, refusing to look at her mom. Scott managed to get to his feet, although his head was still ringing from the impact of Buffy's fist, and he knew his jaw was going to swell. Even being punched by Sabretooth didn't hurt _this_ much.

"Scott, are you okay?" Jean asked, standing and looking at his jaw.

He nodded tightly and moved to sit on the bed with Buffy. "I think it was a nightmare," he offered, looking at his Aunt. "I was trying to wake her up and then she just woke up and slugged me." He laid a hand gently on Buffy's shoulder. "Squirt? Are you okay?"

Buffy looked up at the sound of his voice, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly she launched herself at him, nearly knocking them both off the bed. "Scott!" she sobbed.

He pulled her close as he straightened and wrapped his arms around her. "Ssh…it's okay, Squirt. I'm here." He rocked her gently, reminded of all the times he'd done this when she was younger and fled to him after a nightmare, before he left to go with the Professor. He looked up at his Aunt, then allowed his gaze to encompass everyone. "I'll take care of her. Go on back to bed, Aunt Joyce."

Joyce looked torn between wanting to hold Buffy, and listening to Scott. She knew very well that Scott had often been able to calm Buffy when she couldn't, and she wanted what was best for Buffy, but it hurt, knowing that her daughter didn't want her comfort. After a moment she nodded and leaned over, dropping a kiss on Buffy's head.

Scott let Buffy go for a minute so he could stand up, and then he swept her up into his arms, grateful that she was so much smaller than he was. Carrying her carefully out of the room, he headed for the stairs, thinking that sitting downstairs with her would help her most.

"Scott."

He turned to face the Professor, who subtly tapped his head while raising an eyebrow. _**Would you like me to see if I can purge her mind of the nightmares?**_

Scott hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. _I don't think it'll help in the long run, sir. I'll take care of her._

Xavier nodded and backed his chair out of the way, Ororo following him as they headed back to the guest room. Joyce paused in the doorway, before turning off the light in Buffy's room and retreating to her own room.

Scott descended the stairs, holding Buffy close, even though his jaw was beginning to ache fiercely. Stepping into the living room, he sat down on the couch, holding his Squirt tightly and rocking her gently while rubbing her back.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Buffy sniffled and stopped crying, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and looking up at Scott. She smiled weakly. "Thanks, Scotty." Shifting her weight, she maneuvered out of his lap and sat next to him on the couch as he wrapped an arm around her.

"You're welcome, Squirt. Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently, despite the pain in his jaw that made him wince behind his glasses.

She was quiet for a moment. "I…I was _there_ again, Scott. It…it was happening _again_, and I knew it wasn't real, but I couldn't wake up." She glanced up at him, eyes red from crying. "Is this going to haunt me forever?"

He shook his head and dropped a kiss on her hair. "I don't know, Squirt. I've never gone through anything like what you've gone through. I'm not surprised it's still bothering you, though, it only happened a week ago, and then you had to relive it over and over."

She sniffed. "But why just this one thing? There've been other difficult fights, other monsters I've Slayed. Why is this one bothering me so much?"

Scott sighed. "Probably because this was the time when you came closest to death, Buffy. It'll probably always bother you, but it should get better in time. At least, I think it will. You might want to talk to Professor Xavier about it. He may know some things you can try so that it won't haunt your sleep."

She sniffed again and nodded, before looking back up at him and wincing at the massive bruise beginning to erupt on his face. "Did I do that?"

He touched the darkening area and hissed. "Yes."

"Oh, Scotty, I'm sorry!" she jumped up. "Let me get you some ice."

"Some Advil would be nice too," he said as she hurried out to the kitchen. She returned a couple of minutes later with an ice pack, two Advil, and a glass of water. Swallowing the painkillers, he picked up the ice pack and placed it gingerly on his jaw.

"I didn't break it, did I?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so, it's just really sore. I've taken some nasty punches before, but yours tops them all. If I didn't know about your increased strength, I'd swear you were taking steroids or something."

"I didn't mean to," she replied sheepishly, sitting down next to him again.

"I know. I should have known better than to sit that close to you, given that I've seen what people can do when they're startled out of a nightmare," he said, thinking of what Logan had done to Rogue when she'd tried to wake him up.

Sitting back and holding the ice to his jaw, he smiled when he felt Buffy cuddle close to him. Looking down at the top of her disheveled hair, he wondered how often she had nightmares like that one. "Buffy, you said there have been other incidences…how often do you have nightmares like that?"

Buffy shrugged. "Often enough. My life isn't pleasant these days, Scott. When I'm not dreaming about past fights where I always seem to come off worse, it's nasty prophecy dreams full of blood and violence. It's been a long time since I've had a night where I didn't have at least one nightmare." She shivered. "The worst ones are the ones where the Master or another vampire turns me."

He leaned forward and tipped her chin up so he was looking at her. " What do you mean, 'turns you'?"

Her mouth tightened. "Makes me into one of them. Where I become a vampire," she shivered again.

"I won't let that happen to you, Buffy," he swore softly.

"You can't protect me Scott. I'm the Slayer. I fight vampires. I have to, and unfortunately, that's one of the risks."

Putting the ice pack down, knowing that he couldn't keep it on for too long, he pulled her close and allowed her to rest her head against his chest. "I'll find a way, Squirt. You know if you need my help, I'll come, right?"

She managed a weak giggle. "Yeah. You can be the first ever male Slayer. With those eyes of yours, we could probably clean Sunnydale out in a matter of weeks."

"If that's what it takes," he said. Holding her tightly for a few minutes, he finally looked down at her. "You ready to go back to your own room?"

She didn't answer right away. "Do you mind if I stay down here tonight with you? I know Jean's up there, but she's leaving in the morning and I don't want to wake her up if I have another nightmare."

"Of course not," he said. Letting her go, he stood up and reached for the blankets that Joyce had brought down earlier for him to use to make a bed on the sofa. He started to unfold them, but Buffy stopped him and began removing the couch cushions as she stood. Reaching down, she grabbed the metal bar and pulled, revealing the handy pull-out bed. Together, she and Scott spread the blankets out before they laid down, Buffy reaching out to find Scott's hand as she drifted off.

Scott waited until he was sure she was asleep again, before pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her, rocking her a little bit, before drifting off to sleep himself.

* * *

"Professor, could we talk for a few minutes?" Scott asked his mentor the next morning as they finished breakfast.

"Of course, Scott." Professor Xavier led the way out to the patio and parked his chair in the shade next to the porch swing, which Scott took for himself. Jean and Ororo were getting ready to leave, and Buffy was helping them get their few things together. Xavier studied the dark purple, almost black bruise decorating Scott's jaw. Jean had looked it over that morning and announced that it wasn't broken or dislocated, but that he was going to have a hell of a bruise for a week or so. "Your cousin packs quite the punch."

"I know, believe me. But I'm worried about Buffy," Scott began, leaning back. "She had two more nightmares last night, although they weren't as bad as the one that woke everyone up. She only managed to get back to sleep because I was there, and while she may be fine physically, I don't think she's healed mentally or spiritually."

Xavier sighed. "That doesn't surprise me. She went through a traumatic experience, Scott. It takes time to heal from something like that. Accelerated physical healing isn't going to help her get over it."

Scott nodded. "I know, but I don't think this place is helping, either," he admitted. "Buffy told me that ever since she moved here, she hasn't really had one night where she didn't have either a nightmare or a prophecy dream of some kind, although most aren't as bad as the ones she had last night."

"What are you suggesting?" Xavier asked.

Scott hesitated, wondering how his mentor would take this. "I know the plan was for us to stay here for a while, but in all honestly, I think Buffy really needs to get some distance from everything that's happened, and I think getting away from Sunnydale would be good for her." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Would it be possible for us to cut our visit short, but bring her to New York with us?"

Professor Xavier frowned in thought. "You may be right, Scott, and it's not a bad idea, but will Buffy like it? Can she afford to leave that 'Hellmouth' unguarded?"

"I'd need to talk to her about it, but it wouldn't really be unguarded. Angel and her friends are here, and we saw that Angel is certainly almost as strong and fast as she is."

There was silence as Professor Xavier considered it. Scott tried to wait patiently, but then he caught a glimpse of Buffy helping Jean through the front window. She looked exhausted, and he knew that her nightmares were draining her. Turning back to his mentor, he caught the man's eyes. "Please, Professor. I really am afraid for her."

Xavier nodded. "I'm concerned too, Scott. Very well. If she wants to and your Aunt agrees, we'll bring her with us."

The door opened and Jean and Ororo stepped outside, followed by Buffy and Joyce. Scott stood up and went over to Jean, hugging her and kissing her gently.

Jean broke the kiss first. "Be careful, both of you." _**Don't stress yourselves. We'll see you when you get back.**_

"We will," Scott promised. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too. I'll miss you."

He kissed her again, before taking her bag and Ororo's over to the car they had rented. Ororo followed, reaching for her set of rental keys.

As the two women climbed into the rental, the others that were gathered on the porch waved until they turned the corner out of sight.

Scott turned back to his family and raised an eyebrow at the Professor who nodded. Buffy caught the look and glanced between the two men. "What's up?"

"Let's go inside and talk, Buffy. You too, Aunt Joyce."

The four of them went inside and settled around the living room, Buffy and Joyce watching Scott curiously.

Scott wasn't sure how to start, without revealing more than Buffy would want him to. Professor Xavier seemed to realize that and drew their attention as he opened the conversation. "Joyce, Buffy, we've enjoyed staying with you. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

Buffy's face fell. "Are you leaving already?" She hadn't seen her cousin in years, and then he shows up but only stays for a week? And all that time was spent in the hospital? How fair was that?

"Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you, Buffy," Scott said, finding his voice. "We haven't seen each other in so long, and then your accident happened…I was actually wondering if you'd like to get away from here while you're recovering."

Buffy looked confused. "And go where?"

"To New York, with us. To stay at Professor X's mansion for a few weeks, maybe go into the city with me, see some shows…" Scott trailed off at the delighted look on Buffy's face.

"Are you serious?!"

Scott nodded, all he had time for before Buffy launched herself into his arms, flattening him against the sofa. "Oof!"

"Sorry, Scotty. I'd love to go!"

Scott looked over Buffy's shoulder at his Aunt. "That is, if it's okay with you, Aunt Joyce."

She seemed to be considering it. "For how long?"

Scott shrugged. "A few weeks…maybe a month. She's on summer break now, so it's not like she'd miss school."

"You're welcome to come along too, if you want, Joyce," the Professor offered.

"It sounds lovely, but I'm afraid I can't. The gallery is still so small, I don't have enough staff to cover for me for that long, and we have several shows coming up this summer, including one in less than a month. That's what most of those phone calls on the answering machine are about, and I dread thinking about how many are waiting for me at the gallery." Joyce sighed. "I'd love to go, I would love to get some contacts from galleries in New York, but it'll have to wait until I don't have so many shows lined up."

"Your gallery has a website, doesn't it?" Xavier asked. When Joyce nodded, he continued. "If you give me the address, I'll pass it on to some friends. I have a few contacts in the art world, and I know many of them are looking for new, up-coming galleries."

Joyce's face brightened. "Would you?"

Xavier smiled. "Of course." He thought about it for a moment. "How much is it costing you to operate your website?" Joyce named a figure and he frowned. "I think I can do something about that. I have several students that are wonderful programmers, and they're always looking for projects. I'm sure one of them would love to tackle maintaining a site like yours for extra credit and exposure after they graduate. The school's server is large enough to host your site, and if it gives my students experience, everyone would benefit."

Joyce was, at this point, standing there with her mouth hanging open at his generosity. Buffy took her opportunity. "Mom, can I go?"

Joyce seemed to become aware of what was going on again, and nodded. "I don't see why not, but don't forget that you do have to go to your father for a few weeks at least, Buffy."

Buffy nodded eagerly and Joyce nodded. "Very well. When did you want to leave?"

Scott thought about it. "I think in a few days. We can go and get Buffy's check-up at the hospital, and then leave from there."

Buffy squealed in excitement, flattening Scott onto the couch again. From there she jumped up and ran over to her mom, hugging her as well, before going to the Professor and hugging him too. "This is going to be totally wicked!"


	22. Welcome to New York

**Author's Note: To all my loyal readers...I am so sorry this update has taken so long. With my ongoing job hunt, I find I have very little time to devote to my writing. This chapter has been on my mind all week, and I've wanted to work on it so many times, but have not been able to due to time-constraints. Unfortunately, for the time being, updates may be cut down to one or two a week. If it is at all possible, I will try to update more frequently, but at the moment, all of my focus is going to be on finding a new job and getting myself organized to go back to college to get my teacher's license, which is my ultimate goal. Again, I apologize for the wait, but it could not be helped.**

_Chapter Twenty-Two: **Welcome to New York**_

_One week later…_

Buffy stared out the window of the car as Jean steered it up the road towards a set of massive remote gates. Just beyond the gates she could see an enormous house that would probably rival a lot of the homes constructed by Hollywood's stars. She remembered going on the tour and seeing these massive mansions once when she was a child, but she was certain that Xavier's mansion could easily be considered in their league for sheer size.

Jean had picked them up early that morning when their flight landed at La Guardia. During the trip from the airport, Scott and the Professor had taken the opportunity to explain the purpose of the school to Buffy, who, surprisingly enough, asked several very intelligent and pointed questions about the running of the school.

Scott grinned at her as he saw the slack-jawed look of amazement on his cousin's face. "Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Students Buffy."

Buffy turned wide eyes on her cousin. "You actually _live_ here?"

Scott nodded. "Yep. Ever since I was seventeen."

Buffy's mouth opened and closed like she was a fish, making Scott laugh as Jean pulled the van around the side of the house and into the garage. Scott slid the side door open and went to the front passenger side to assist the Professor in getting out of the van, while Jean walked to the back of the van and began unloading the luggage.

Buffy helped Jean by picking up the bags as Jean pulled them out of the van. With her Slayer strength, it was easy to get all of the bags. Together, the four of them headed into the mansion through the side door, coming out into the kitchen. Buffy looked around in surprise. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but the gleaming, highly polished wood of the cabinets blended with the chrome of the appliances, and the large bay window with a cushioned bench wasn't it.

"Scott, will you and Jean show Buffy to her room?" Professor Xavier asked. "I need to catch up on some work in my office."

"Of course, sir. I was planning on giving her a tour later after she's had a chance to unpack. Did you wish to accompany us?" Scott asked.

Xavier nodded. "Indeed. I'll meet you in the Great Hall in an hour, if that is agreeable to both of you?"

Scott glanced at Buffy, who nodded eagerly. "That's fine, sir." He turned to Buffy. "C'mon Squirt. Let's find you a room. Most of the students have gone home for the summer, fortunately, so you don't have to worry about being overwhelmed by their many varied powers right away." He led the way out of the kitchen and across the hall to a curved section of the wall, as the Professor headed past them and down the hall. Reaching out, Scott slid a wooden panel aside and pressed a button. There was a moment's pause, and then the circular panel slid aside, revealing an elevator.

Buffy's eyebrows went up. "Nice."

"It's a necessity, Buffy," Jean replied. "The mansion is five stories, and since Professor Xavier can't climb stairs…"

Buffy blushed. "Right, I knew that." She frowned a moment later, thought. "Five stories? It didn't look that big when we drove up."

"There are three levels above ground, Buffy, and two sub-basements," Scott explained. "Don't worry, you'll get the whole tour soon."

The elevator door slid open on the third floor, and Scott led the way down the hall. "This is the third floor. The oldest students, most of the faculty, and the Professor are up here, but this whole level is bedrooms. The main stairs are just behind us, right next to the elevator, and there's a second set of stairs that leads down to the main computer lab at the far end of the hallway."

Scott stopped about half-way down the hall and opened a door on his right, and he ushered Buffy inside. "This is your room Buffy. Mine is two doors down on the right if you need anything."

Buffy put down the bags she was carrying, and looked around. The bedroom was a little smaller than her room in Sunnydale, but it had an attached bathroom, which made up for the size difference. The bed was neatly made and Buffy could smell the fresh scent of clean linens. There was a window with a bench underneath it on the north wall, and the window looked out over the drive and the huge front lawn. A desk was pushed against the east wall, next to the bed, with a nightstand on the opposite side of the bed. Next to the bathroom door was a small closet.

"This is nice, Scotty. Are all the rooms like this?"

Scott nodded. "More or less. The youngest students sleep four or five to a room on the second level, so those rooms are bigger, but all the faculty rooms, the guest rooms, and the rooms for the older students are all pretty much the same, except for the individual tastes of their occupants." He stooped down and scooped up his overnight bag and the Professor's suitcase. "Professor Xavier's room is the largest of the faculty rooms, but given that this is his house, and that he needs plenty of room to accommodate his wheelchair, that's not surprising."

Buffy picked her bag up and set it on the desk chair. "Um, Scott…if you don't mind me asking, how did Professor Xavier end up in a wheelchair? I don't want to say the wrong thing around him by accident."

Scott shook his head. "If you did it wouldn't really bother him. He's used to people commenting on his wheelchair. But since you asked, the short version is that he was trapped in a collapsing building when he was visiting the Himalayas, and a stone slab fell on him and crushed his legs and spine."

Buffy winced.

"Anyway, get settled in Squirt. I'm going to go and unpack, and then we'll meet the Professor for your tour," Scott said as he headed out the door.

* * *

_One hour later…_

Scott and Buffy descended the main staircase and emerged into the great hall. Buffy's eyes widened in shock as she took in the enormous, beautiful room. "Wow! How do you keep it looking so nice with so many students around?"

Scott chuckled. "Very carefully. All the students know there's no rough-housing allowed inside the mansion, and everyone helps to keep it tidy. If someone breaks one of those rules, they get extra chores, depending on what rule got broken."

Professor Xavier was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled up at the cousins. "Did you get settled in, Buffy?"

Buffy nodded. "Yes, thank you." She smiled back at the older man. "I just wanted to thank you for everything…it's nice of you to let me stay here for a while."

"It's my pleasure, my dear," Xavier replied, his voice warm. "Are you ready for the tour?" When Buffy nodded, he turned his chair and began moving across the great hall, Scott and Buffy following him. "I'm not sure how much you've discussed this with Scott, but what do you know about mutants?"

Buffy thought for a minute. "Not much, really. I heard a few things when I was living in L.A, before I was Called," – both men could hear the capital C in her voice – "but after that, I was pretty busy fighting demons and vampires and trying to stay alive. The supernatural community is varied enough, and Sunnydale has enough to keep me occupied, without throwing mutants into the mix."

Xavier nodded. "We are mutants. Every single person in this mansion is a mutant. We're different, because of one anomaly in our genes that gives us special abilities. Because of that one mutated gene, we've become the newest and most persecuted minority group in the world." He sighed. "For many years now, I've been trying to get people to see that we're human, we're just different. Many of our abilities could benefit the world, and make it a better place, but those who are not mutants see us as a dangerous threat."

Scott continued, "Because of that never-ending persecution, and because mutants _have_ to learn to control their powers or risk endangering people, Professor Xavier founded this school, to give mutants a chance to have a normal life and learn to control their powers so that they can become a useful member of society."

"Anonymity is our first line of defense. It is why I protest laws like the Registration Act that is currently before Congress. Forcing us to reveal ourselves and register our powers will only create more problems than it solves, for the time being," Xavier said. "If people want to see enemies everywhere, then they will, and having records of us and our powers will only give people something to attack. It could easily degenerate into a modern-day Holocaust, with mutants as the targets."

Buffy nodded slowly. "I see that. It's similar to what I go through. Because I am _the_ Slayer, things of darkness are drawn to me. Believe me, I've tried to ignore my Calling, but I can't, because even if I don't want to be the Slayer, things will still come after me."

Xavier nodded. "Exactly. It was my hope when I opened my home to my students that they could learn to control and accept their powers and learn to use them properly, so that one day there can be a new era of peace between mutants and humans."

"Ambitious."

"Perhaps," Xavier agreed. "Now, down this way is the main computer room for the students' use, the library, and my study." He smiled. "While you're here, feel free to use anything my home has available. Curl up in the library with a book, email your friends and tell them about anything, enjoy the grounds, if you wish."

Buffy nodded as she took in the library when Scott opened the door. The large room was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, with a few large windows providing plenty of light for reading. Comfortable-looking armchairs were arranged all over the room, and floor lamps were scattered around for light at night. "This is nice. Nothing like the school library in Sunnydale."

"Your mom said you spend a lot of time there," Scott observed.

"Slayer Central," Buffy replied. "All of Giles' reference books are there, so new problem comes up, we research, I slay, and then we party." She frowned slightly as she remembered all the research that had been done on the Master…and what the result of their confrontation had been.

Scott noticed the sudden change in mood and glanced at the Professor, who nodded. Scott touched his cousin's shoulder, and she looked up at him. "Ready to keep going?"

"Yeah."

Professor Xavier touched Buffy's hand as they turned around and made their way back across the great hall. "Buffy, any time you want to talk, my office is open to you." She smiled in thanks, but didn't say anything as they moved down the hall.

Scott pointed out a few other rooms as they went. "Over there is the living room, and there's a big TV that usually has the news on during the day, although the students like to commandeer it at night for movies and video games. Next to that is the kitchen, which you've seen, and then the dining room."

"Who cooks?" Buffy asked.

Professor X smiled. "I have a cook who comes in everyday and makes meals for the school, but all of the teachers and some of the students have their own favorite meal that they'll make on special occasions. Would you like to try your hand in the kitchen some time?"

Buffy paled. "Oh no, no way. Not unless you want the fire department called out or you want your kitchen redesigned." Both men laughed and after a moment, Buffy joined in.

"In any case, students are not allowed in the kitchen between meals, but the staff and guests can raid the fridge any time they want, so long as the things that are clearly marked by the cook are left alone," Xavier continued.

Buffy nodded. "Thanks."

Scott pointed across the hallway. "That's the rec room. There's a foosball table and a huge collection of board games in there, and a ping pong table, although I'd be wary before you challenge anyone to that game. Ping pong games are fiercely competitive around here."

Buffy grinned. "Sounds right up my alley."

"Outside on the grounds are a full-sized basketball court, a full-sized tennis court, an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a diving board, several formal gardens and a few 'wild' gardens, and plenty of lawn and walkways if you just need to get away and think for a bit. We also have stables and a few horses, if you feel like going riding sometime," Scott added. Buffy just nodded.

They were almost to the end of the hallway, with only a set of double doors with glass panels in front of them. Scott reached out and pushed open the door, and Buffy sucked in a startled breath. In front of them was a massive arboretum, with a huge glass roof, plants growing all along the room, even a few trees tucked into the corners. The center of the room had been cleared and was filled with rows of tables and chairs, and at the front of the room was a solitary table and a blackboard that was covered with math equations.

Scott smiled. "This is the main classroom. Ororo, Jean, and I rotate use throughout the day and since all of the students take the same classes, we just divide it up by age, which keeps everyone pretty much in the same area. Lectures and assignments are done by grade level, but everyone studies the same thing, since we have such a small faculty."

Buffy nodded. "What does everyone teach?"

"Scott teaches English, Shop, and Tech Ed," Professor Xavier said. "Shop and Tech Ed are held in the garage and the workshop which are separate from the main building. Ororo teaches History, Horticulture, and some Sociology, although that class is mainly reserved for the oldest students that are about to graduate. Jean teaches the Math and Science classes, with the exception of Physics. I teach Physics and Humanities, but I hold my classes in my office."

"Professor X also holds regular training sessions with all of the students to help them learn to control their powers. Once the students have been initially tested, Ororo, Jean, and I work with them daily, with the Professor holding special sessions and testing them on their control if he deems it necessary."

"Sounds like a busy schedule," Buffy noted.

Scott nodded. "It is, a little bit. One advantage that we have though is that the classes are structured similarly to college, so the students don't go to every class everyday. That helps with the limited space we have, gives us plenty of time to work on ability control, which is the primary reason the students are here, and we've found, leads to better grades from the students because they actually have time to absorb what they learn without new concepts being shoved into their heads every day. Having the teachers available at all times also helps, because the students can come to us anytime they have a question."

Buffy nodded. "That makes sense. Too bad Sunnydale High isn't like that." She grew quiet for a moment, and a sad expression crossed her face.

Scott noticed and touched her shoulder. "Buffy?"

"Just thinking about one of my favorite teachers. He was killed a couple of months after I started at Sunnydale. Most of the teachers don't trust me because of my record from L.A, but Dr. Gregory was willing to give me a chance, before he died."

"What happened to him?" Xavier asked.

"Record from L.A?" Scott asked at the same time.

Buffy looked between both of them. "You know I'm the Slayer, and at times, my life sucks beyond comprehension. The first major threat I had to deal with after being Called was a Master vamp named Lothos. The only way I could finally stop him was by trapping him and his minions inside the gym at Hemery High and setting fire to it." She hunched her shoulders. "The police and the arson investigators never found proof that I had anything to do with it, but since I'd been getting into so much trouble for a couple of months prior to that incident, the school blamed me and expelled me. That's why we moved to Sunnydale, it was the only school that would take me."

Scott didn't know what to say. Aunt Joyce hadn't filled him in on the reason they moved to Sunnydale, and he hadn't known anything about Buffy getting expelled. He had assumed it was just to make a fresh start after the divorce.

"As for Dr. Gregory, he was a victim of the good old Hellmouth," Buffy said.

"Vampire?" Scott asked.

"Preying Mantis."

Scott blinked. "Huh?"

Buffy giggled a little at the look on his face, even though the story wasn't that funny. "I'm serious. A demon-beast thing that was essentially an overgrown preying mantis killed him, and then used some kind of spell to take his place as the very attractive female substitute teacher, just so she could get close to all the virgin high school boys."

Scott's mouth was hanging open in shock and he could see Professor X was equally as surprised. "What happened?"

"When she – it – kidnapped a couple of boys from my class, I figured out what was going on and with Giles' and Willow's help we went to her lair, broke in, and then I proceeded with a very messy dissection." She laughed at the look of disgust on both men's faces. "I told you my life wasn't pretty."

Scott shook his head. _Why Buffy?_ he wondered. _Why is it my cousin that has to put up with all of this?_

_**I don't know, Scott. But we'll both do whatever we can to help her. I promise.**_

Scott wasn't overly surprised when he heard Professor Xavier's voice in his mind. He was used to Xavier picking up on his thoughts, even though this time he had been asking himself those questions. _Thank you sir._

Buffy didn't appear to be aware of their brief conversation as she turned away from them and looked around the arboretum again. Scott gave her a few minutes, in case she was trying to compose herself after telling that story, before he cleared his throat. "Are you ready to keep going Buffy?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you ready to see the rest of the school?" Scott repeated.

Buffy frowned. "What else is there?"

Professor Xavier and Scott exchanged smiles, and then Xavier turned back to her. "I want to show you the true purpose of the school," he said with a mysterious smile.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me!" Buffy exclaimed, as the elevator door slid open and she took in the sight of the first underground level. She stepped out of the elevator, Professor Xavier and Scott joining her as she stared around with her mouth open.

"I like the 'fish-look' Buffy, but it doesn't really suit you," Scott teased, causing his cousin to snap her mouth shut and glare at him.

"What is all of this?" she asked as she looked up and down the long metal lined hallway, seeing several doors and side hallways branching off in different directions.

"This is the true purpose of the school," Xavier said. "No matter what laws are passed, there will always be people who will hate mutants, just because we're different, and there will always be mutants who resent the way they are treated by those people, or who feel that their powers allow them to get away with anything they wish." He sighed. "As long as both groups are out there, true unity and peace between mutants and non-mutants will never really happen. Someone has to be the example for others, so that people can see that not all mutants want to take control of the world."

Buffy looked puzzled. "I get that, it makes sense, but what does all of this have to do with that?"

Xavier smiled. "This is the headquarters of the X-Men, Buffy."

"The X-Men?"

Scott nodded. "Professor Xavier's team of mutants who are working to be that example of peace. A team that will defend mutants from humans, and humans from mutants. Someone who can bridge the gap, and see both sides of an issue and respond accordingly."

Buffy looked at her cousin. "Let me guess…you're an X-Man."

Scott nodded. "I'm the team's field leader. Right now, Ororo and Jean are the other two members of the team, and there was a fourth, Hank, but he left the team to pursue a career outside the school."

"There is also Logan," Professor Xavier commented, earning a frown from Scott.

"He was around for one mission, sir. I don't think he'll come back though."

Xavier shook his head. "I think he will. He has an attachment to Marie, and I think he'll come back when he finds out what he's searching for."

Even Buffy could tell that the look on Scott's face was one of extreme skepticism, but he didn't comment further.

"So what all is down here?" Buffy asked.

Scott smiled and led the way to the right, towards a large door emblazoned with an X. Embedded in the center of the X was a glowing blue sphere surrounded by a strange dial, although there didn't appear to be any way to manipulate the dial. Professor Xavier moved forward, positioning his chair in front of the door, and Buffy realized that the blue sphere was at his eye level. A beam of light shot out from the sphere into the Professor's eye, but he didn't flinch.

There was a whirring noise, before the light suddenly cut off, and a computerized female voice spoke. "Welcome Professor." The dial turned suddenly, automatically, and then the door slid open. Professor Xavier gestured to Scott and Buffy and they followed him into the room.

Lights came up as they entered, and Buffy felt her mouth drop open in amazement as she took a good look around. They were on a narrow walkway suspended in the center of an enormous round sphere. The room was completely empty except for the walkway and what appeared to be a computer console at the far end of the walkway.

"Welcome to Cerebro, Buffy," Professor Xavier said quietly, moving his chair towards the computer.

"Wha-wha…" Buffy tried to ask.

"Cerebro is a very powerful machine, Buffy. It's primary function is an amplifier for my telepathic power. With this headset on, I am connected to every living person, mutant or non-mutant on Earth, and I can communicate with anyone, anywhere on the planet."

Buffy blinked in surprise. "I thought that Jean had mentioned that you were the strongest telepath on the planet. Is that because of Cere…whatever?"

Xavier shook his head. "No. Cerebro is an amplification device, Buffy. Jean could use it as well, and has before, in fact, but Cerebro responds differently to different telepaths. It can only amplify a telepath's natural ability so much. Even using Cerebro, Jean would not have the same reach that I do, because I am a stronger telepath than she is. However, the downside to using this device is that it is very dangerous if you don't have full control of your abilities. Although Jean has used Cerebro before, it is not safe for her to do so, because she doesn't have the same level of control that I do. I hope one day to help her reach that point, but until then, it is far safer for her not to use it."

"You said it's primary function was an amplifier…what else does it do?"

"It also monitors the emergence of new mutants. This device is how I locate my students. When their powers begin to become active, Cerebro registers the new mutant and then I go to visit that mutant, normally with Scott or Jean, to try to him or her to come to the school for training. Along with that, I can use Cerebro to track known mutants, and have used it in the past to track mutants who may prove to be a danger that the X-Men need to deal with."

"Cool."

Together the three of them left the Cerebro chamber, the door sliding shut behind them and locking automatically. They roamed the rest of the first sub-basement level, showing Buffy the med-lab, the X-Jet parked in its hanger, and the different labs used by the X-Men. Buffy was very impressed with all of it, and began to get an idea of just how wealthy Professor Xavier really was. The upper levels of the mansion had been impressive, but the lower levels were astonishing.

As they emerged into a second sub-basement, Buffy looked around. This level seemed smaller for some reason, although with this place that wasn't necessarily true. They had come out of the elevator into what appeared to be a huge computer control room. Just ahead of them were two closed doors, and off to her right, at the far side of the room was another door.

"What's all this?"

"This is the heart of the mansion," Scott said. "The computers down here control all of the mansion security systems, the communications, basic power…anything that would normally be controlled through the city is controlled down here, and we do our own maintenance on it."

"How'd you manage that?" Buffy asked in surprise. Even she knew that some basic services, like electricity, sewage, and water were normally handled through the city of residence. She had certainly heard her mother complaining about the bills for those services often enough.

"The estate is so large, and because of our status as a school, we were able to negotiate a deal with the city. We still pay for everything, of course, the same as anyone else, but all of the controls are handled down here. That way, if there's a power outage in town, we aren't affected by it, and if we have a power outage here, we don't risk the rest of the city being affected," Xavier explained. "It also keeps city officials from discovering these lower levels, and having the true purpose of the school exposed."

"Makes sense, I guess," Buffy said as she considered the points that Xavier had made. She understood, being Secret Identity Girl herself, that above everything else, Xavier and the teachers had to protect the students, and themselves, from being discovered as mutants. Although she had never paid much attention to the mutant phenomenon, after waking up in the hospital and discovering that her cousin was a mutant, she had taken time to talk to Willow, trying to get up to speed on the whole situation so that she could discuss it logically with Scott when the opportunity rose. If the true purpose of the school was revealed, and the X-Men uncovered, everything Professor Xavier was working for would be jeopardized. "So what are those rooms for?"

Scott pointed at the room directly ahead of them. "That's the War Room, where we do all of our mission planning before we leave to help whoever needs help. Of course, we don't always get the opportunity to _use_ it, but Professor Xavier can monitor the situation from inside that room while we're en route, and give us up to date information as things change, so we can alter our plans as necessary. The room at the far end of the hall leads to the detention center."

"Detention center? You keep prisoners?" Buffy was shocked.

"Of course not. But there are times when we have to 'contain' other mutants for a time, until they can be handed over to the proper authorities," Xavier explained. "It's a complex system, but efficient." He led the way through the control room to the detention center doors and opened it. Inside were several…well, there was no real good way to phrase it…cells, with a small, reinforced window on one side so the X-Men could monitor their 'guests' without resorting to cameras inside the cells.

Buffy shook her head, still not comfortable with the idea.

Scott noticed her discomfort and tried to explain. "Buffy, we only keep mutants in here temporarily. Unfortunately, most law enforcement departments aren't capable of containing dangerous mutants immediately after they are captured. When we do manage to capture any hostile mutants, we bring them here, contain them, and then send anonymous information to the proper authorities so that the proper facilities can be designed and created. Once we're certain that everything is complete and will work, we turn the mutants over to the police. It's all done quietly, with no fuss. We do have some contacts in the government and in law enforcement that are aware of this, although they don't know who we are or where we're located."

"So how does this work?" Buffy asked, looking at the little cells. She still didn't feel that this was right, but she knew Scott and the Professor knew what they were talking about. Beating a mutant intent on hurting someone in a fight wouldn't stop them from trying it again unless they were detained.

"The cubes are made of titanium," Professor Xavier explained. "Now, as strong as it is, titanium won't stand up to some of the most powerful mutants we've faced, so layered inside the walls and floor, as well as over the entrance and on both sides of the window are different particle and energy emitters that can produce a variety of energy beams that act like bars. Depending on what a mutant's power is, we can usually project an energy field that is resistant to their powers, which successfully contains them."

Buffy shook her head. "Where do you get this kind of technology, and why doesn't the general populace have it?"

"Most of it is designed by the Professor and Jean and things are constantly upgraded as they come up with improvements for the equipment. A great deal of the equipment was designed by the fourth member of our team, Hank. He was a very gifted scientist, and he designed most of the systems down here and taught us how to run them. We still stay in touch with him, so if an emergency we can't handle comes up, we contact him and he tells us how to fix it," Scott said.

Buffy looked around again, and nodded. Then her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of an open door behind and to her right. She could see what appeared to be another computer, but this room had large glass windows that were tinted. She couldn't see what was on the other side of the glass. "What's that?"

Scott followed her gaze and smirked. "That's our pride and joy." He led her into the control/observation room. Buffy stepped up to the window and felt her jaw drop, _again_, at the sight of the massive room that she could see through the glass. "Welcome to the Danger Room, Buffy."

Buffy's head whipped around to stare at him. "The _what_?"

Professor X shook his head. "This is our training room Buffy. The students have given it the dubious nickname of The Danger Room after they came out bruised a few too many times."

"Training room? There's nothing in there," Buffy pointed out.

"At the moment, no," Xavier agreed. "Using this computer, however, I can simulate any environment that you can imagine, along with any type of enemy for my X-Men to train against."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "How?"

"Extremely advanced holography," Xavier said. Buffy gave him a puzzled look. "Holograms, Buffy."

"Like on 'Star Trek'?" Buffy asked, thinking of Xander and his love of all things sci-fi.

Xavier nodded. "Very similar."

"If they're holograms, then they're not really real, right? How do you train against something that's not really there?" Buffy wondered. "And why call it the Danger Room when you don't really get hurt?"

"Tell that to the Professor and the computer," Scott muttered, although from the tone of his voice both Buffy and Xavier could tell that he meant it as a good natured complaint.

"While the enemies may not be 'real' in the traditional sense, Buffy, the danger certainly is, as the bruises of the students can attest. And while they are inside the Danger Room, the enemies are very real. There are safety measures in place to prevent serious injuries, but all of my students have felt the aches and pains that the Danger Room can inflict," Xavier said with a chuckle as Scott mock-glared at him. "If you would like to try a simulation out yourself sometime while you're here, you would be welcome to."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Uh…I don't know. I don't exactly fight mutants."

Scott smiled. "Not a problem, Squirt. I'm sure we can find a way to simulate vampires and demons so you can get some training in. It may take some trial and error, but we can probably make it work."

"Let me think about it," Buffy said.

* * *

As the emerged from the sub-basement levels a few minutes later, Xavier looked over at Buffy. "That is everything, Buffy. Of course if you wish to explore the grounds, you may do so. The only thing I ask is that you keep the secret I've shared with you. It's important that _no one_ learns the truth of this school's purpose."

"I'm Secret Identity Girl too," Buffy reminded the older man. "Keeping secrets is kinda part of the drill."

Xavier nodded and headed towards his study to catch up on some work. Scott looked down at his cousin. "Well, what would you like to do now, Squirt?"

"Honestly?" Buffy asked. "I'd like to get some sleep."

Scott nodded, understanding. Her nightmares for the past week had been unrelenting, to the point where she had simply begun sleeping downstairs with him so that she felt safe. Even with him nearby, she still woke up several times a night, trying not to scream and wake up the whole house. Every time, he soothed her and comforted her until she was able to go back to sleep, but it had left him exhausted and worn out as well. Actually, a nap sounded like a good idea to him too.


	23. The Edge of Danger

**Author's Note: pokes head out shyly, ready to hide from angered readers Uh, hello all! waves slowly I am so, so sorry about how long it has been since I updated this story! It has been all that has been on my mind since I posted the last chapter, but for some reason, this chapter just kicked my butt when I tried to write it. Every time I sat down to work on it, I'd have the biggest case of writer's block I've ever had! I've had the ending of this chapter in my head since I wrote chapter three or four, but for some reason I could not work my way up to it. So...read, enjoy, and review! I hope I haven't lost any of my readers in the long delay. Oh, and don't kill me for the ending of this chapter! runs away and hides**

_Chapter Twenty-Three:_ _**The Edge of Danger**_

_I don't know how much more of this I can take_, Buffy thought miserably, fighting back tears. The wind brushed against her cheeks, cooling the heat in them as she fought to keep herself under control. It was getting to be too much and it was driving her crazy.

Night after night, without fail, the Nightmare returned.

It was always the same, and every night she woke fighting back a scream. Scott was worried enough about her. He hid it well, but she could tell that he knew what she was hiding when she went downstairs every morning trying to look alert and chipper. She was failing miserably, she knew. The nightmare was draining her and it was getting harder and harder to bring herself to try to sleep.

In the week and a half that she had been at Xavier's mansion, she had been having a great time with her cousin, getting the chance to get reacquainted, and to hear some of the things that he had been up to but had not shared with her because she didn't know that he was a mutant. Thankfully, he wasn't pressing her to share her stories. He seemed to realize that there were horrors in her past since she had become a Slayer, and that she wasn't ready to discuss them, not when the Master was still so fresh in her mind.

_What am I going to do?_ she wondered. _I can't keep this up forever._ "Help me please. Someone help me," she whispered to the wind, before giving in to her tears and dropping her head into her hands.

* * *

"I'm really worried about her Professor."

Scott stood at the window in his mentor's study, looking out at the fountain on the front lawn, but not really seeing it. All his attention was on his cousin and her problems. He sighed. "I had hoped…but I guess it was foolish to think that she would recover in a week."

"Not foolish, Scott. Optimistic, maybe, but given how much you love her, there's nothing wrong with hoping for a miracle," Xavier replied.

"I just don't know how to help her, sir. When I try to find a way to bring it up, she shuts down on me, like she can sense what I want to ask her. I know she's still having nightmares, and she's not sleeping. I've heard her pacing around her room at night, and she's got huge circles under her eyes," he sighed again. "She thinks I don't know that she's not sleeping well, and I almost don't want to tell her how worried I am. She doesn't need any further burdens."

"Perhaps telling her will ease her burdens, because she will not have to keep it from you any longer," Xavier suggested, steering his chair over to stand next to Scott.

"Maybe."

Xavier remained silent, waiting, knowing that something more was on Scott's mind than just the sleepless nights that his cousin had been having.

"Professor, why…" Scott trailed off.

"Why what, Scott?"

Scott heaved a sigh. "Why Buffy? What did she do to deserve this? To have to fight every night, knowing that it might be her last night? To know that she might never get a chance to love someone the way I love Jean, that she might never get a chance for a family of her own," he shook his head, "or even that she might not live to graduate high school and go to college?"

Xavier shook his head slowly. "I don't know Scott. It isn't fair, that is true, but someone obviously felt that this is what Buffy is meant to do."

Scott allowed his head to fall forward and bang softly against the window glass. "I love her, I just don't know how to help her and it's driving me crazy."

"Perhaps if you can find a way to ease her nightmares, she will be more likely to confide the rest of her problems to you," Xavier suggested.

Scott sighed again. "I don't know how, sir. Buffy has always come to me when she had nightmares, or at least she did when I lived with her and her parents after the accident. But she hasn't come to me since we got here." He looked at Xavier, and despite the ruby-quartz glasses, Xavier could tell that his protégé was very upset. "Did we do the right thing by taking her from Sunnydale? I had hoped that getting away from the source of her struggles would help her get some distance from her nightmares and allow her to recover, but she only seems to be getting worse, and she's refusing to ask for help."

Xavier nodded slowly. He had also noticed the young girl's melancholy and her exhaustion as she battled her nightmares. Scott had had good intentions, but were they really helping?

Suddenly an idea dawned on him. "Scott, I think I have an idea."

Scott looked up alertly, desperate for anything that could help his cousin. Xavier smiled and began to explain his plan.

* * *

_That afternoon…  
_  
"Buffy?"

Buffy looked up quickly at the sound of Scott's voice. She was sitting out on the lawn with a book that she had borrowed from the Professor's library. Her cousin was coming across the lawn towards her.

"What's up, Scotty?" she asked, trying to sound alert and chipper, when in all honesty, that was the last thing she felt like. Exhausted and depressed were much closer to her real mood at the moment.

He stood over her and offered her his hand. "The team was going to use the Danger Room for a while. Do you want to come and join us? Jean was wondering if you'd be willing to show us your skills."

Buffy thought about it for a minute. "Sure, why not? I want to see this power of yours in action." Taking his hand, she allowed him to pull her to her feet and lead her back into the mansion.

They descended quickly to the lower levels of the mansion, and Scott led Buffy to the women's changing rooms. "Jean has an extra uniform that she said she'd let you borrow."

"Um…okay." Buffy pushed the door open, to see that Ororo and Jean were in the process of putting their uniforms on. She paused in shock. "What are those?"

Jean looked down, puzzled. "Our uniforms. Why? What's wrong?"

"They're…ugly."

Buffy took in the sight before her eyes. Both women were wearing what appeared to be full-body, form fitting black leather. Jean's had more padding than Ororo's, and Ororo's had the added feature of a full-length cape that attached at the neck and wrists, and heeled boots.

Jean just smiled as she understood where Buffy's thoughts were at. "That's okay. You get one too," she said, pointing at where one of her spare uniforms was hanging up.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "I don't know…it's not like I wear any kind of uniform when I go patrolling."

Ororo smiled at the teen's attitude towards the clothing. "Personally, child, I'll take the padding, stopping power, maneuverability and comfort over fashion any day."

Buffy frowned at being called 'child'. "I'm not a child. I'm the Slayer."

Ororo looked sheepish. "Forgive me, dear. You're not that much older than most of the students here. It's easy to forget when looking at you."

Buffy shrugged. "No big, but I've seen too much in the last two years to think of myself as a child."

Ororo's smile was slight when she replied. "Believe me, Buffy, I understand only too well."

Jean broke into the conversation. "As soon as you're dressed, Buffy, we can meet Scott in the Danger Room."

Buffy sighed at the thought of wearing the bulky looking uniform, but finally nodded and reached for it as the other two women finished putting on their uniforms and left the room through the door that led into the Danger Room.

* * *

Scott met Professor Xavier in the control room above the Danger Room. The older man was preparing the program that he intended to use once the team had a chance to warm up and let Buffy adjust to the idea of enemies that were there but not there at the same time.

"Is everything ready, sir?"

Xavier nodded. "For the moment." He reached up and placed a reassuring hand on his protégé's arm. "Have faith Scott. She won't even realize what's going on until it has happened."

Scott sighed. "I just hope she can forgive me when we're through."

Xavier nodded as Jean and Ororo entered the Danger Room, talking quietly to themselves. "Go meet them, Scott, and be ready when the time comes."

The younger mutant nodded and slipped out of the room and down the small lift. He stepped into the Danger Room at the same time as Buffy, who looked extremely uncomfortable in Jean's uniform. "Something wrong, Squirt?" Scott asked, forcing his voice to sound normal so that he wouldn't give anything away too soon.

"I hate this idea, Scott. Not only are these uniforms extremely ugly, but I feel like I can't move at all."

Scott suppressed a smile at his cousin's ever conscious fashion sense. Trust Buffy to think of that. "Once you start moving and fighting, Buffy, you won't notice it."

"I hope so," Buffy muttered. Tugging on the tight neck of the uniform one more time, she sighed and looked around the room. "So what are we going to do?"

"Professor Xavier and I discussed it, and he's going to put together some obstacle courses to start with, each one tailored to take advantage of our strengths, and test our powers at the same time," Scott said. "We'll take turns, which will get us warmed up before he starts throwing harder stuff at us."

Buffy shrugged. "Sounds good. Who's first?"

Just then, a complicated tangle of equipment appeared from out of nowhere, and Buffy jumped. The X-Men chuckled at her amazed expression as she reached out and touched the closest set of bars, finding them to be completely solid. "How did that happen?"

Scott pointed up at the control room. "Professor Xavier is up in the control room and he programmed them to appear. This is what we meant when we were telling you that the enemies are real. While we're in here, everything is as solid as the Professor tells the computer for it to be."

Just then, Xavier's voice came over an intercom. "Jean, you're first."

Jean studied the tangle of equipment and sighed, then moved to the area that Xavier had designated as her starting point. She eyed the route that he had mapped out for her with arrows on the floor, before nodding and taking off in a sprint towards the first obstacle, a small wall that she had to scale.

Buffy, Scott, and Ororo stood to the side watching as Jean cleared obstacle after obstacle flawlessly. At one point, Buffy had looked alarmed when heavy metal balls shot out of the wall from a concealed launcher, but Jean just waved her hand at them and deflected them harmlessly.

"You do this regularly?" Buffy asked.

"Everyday, if we can," Scott said. "It's a constant challenge for us to try to beat our best times on the Professor's programs, and for him to come up with something to trick us, something that we can't anticipate until it's too late. Most of the time he manages to come up with things to keep us on our toes, but we've worked together for so long, we can generally anticipate each other's reactions almost before we realize what's in front of us."

"Do the other students train down here too?" Buffy asked.

Scott shook his head. "Only the ones that are within a year of graduating. By that time they've generally got enough control of their abilities to keep up with us, and they're at the point where they're old enough to consider joining the team. So far none of the students have wanted to join the team, but it wouldn't surprise me if they start coming back in the future. A lot of them just wanted to go to college before thinking about coming back as one of the X-Men."

Jean crossed the finish line as they were talking, and the obstacle course faded from sight. A moment later it reappeared, having been redesigned. Xavier's voice came over the intercom. "Scott, it's your turn. There are several things that you'll have to blast…but you can only use your powers five times, so pick your shots carefully."

"Yes, sir." Scott replied, moving towards his starting point and taking a careful look at the course, trying to judge the layout and figure which points would be most critical to needing to be blasted. Having a fair idea in his mind, he took off towards the first obstacle, a ditch that he jumped over, landed and continued past with ease. Next was a high wall with a rope hanging about halfway down. He leaped and just managed to grab the end of the rope and pulled himself up, hand over hand until he could get his feet against the wall.

Jumping down from the wall, he was forced to drop and roll immediately to avoid a jet of flame, then scramble to his feet and jump another pit before he came to a series of blocks that were too high to climb and too heavy to move. Raising a hand to his visor, he pressed the activation stud and blasted at the blocks, holding a steady, focused beam on them as he tunneled his way through, using the first of his five attacks.

Buffy's eyes widened as she took in the sight of her cousin's power. Until now, she hadn't been sure that she really believed him when he had told her that he shot lasers out of his eyes. But this… she whistled in admiration. "I need to borrow him for a while and raid the Sunnydale sewers."

Ororo and Jean laughed at her surprise and reaction to her cousin's powers. They continued to watch as Scott negotiated the course. He used his powers for the second time to blast a net hanging from the ceiling that was filled with stones. As the net fell free, the stones tumbled into another ditch in the floor that was too wide to jump and created an uneven, though functional bridge.

He dodged several holographic enemies, taking them out with punches if at all possible, although he was forced to use his powers a third time on one that wouldn't give up until after it had been blasted into the air, only to come smashing down to the ground.

Several minutes later, he darted across the finish line, having used his last two allowed usages of his power to break through a wall and to cut through a rope holding a key hanging from the ceiling to open a door that had barred his path.

"Well done, Scott," Xavier's voice came from the observation room.

Scott took several deep breaths and then glanced towards the observation room. "Thank you sir," he replied before turning to Buffy. "How about it, Squirt? Want to have a go at a course, or do you want to watch 'Ro do it first?"

Buffy thought about it for a minute. "I think I'm up for it."

Scott nodded. "Professor, set her up with an intermediate level course, please." Seeing Buffy's frown, he raised his hands defensively. "Hey, no offense, Squirt. I have no idea how tough you are. If the course is too easy, Professor X can always increase the difficulty after you run through this one."

She glared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine, but prepared to be amazed," she warned him.

A moment later, the course configured itself for her and she glanced at it as she moved to the starting position.

Xavier called down to her. "Buffy, this course is only going to be obstacles, no enemies to fight. I need a baseline on your strength and stamina before I try to program opponents for you. Go for speed, and don't hold back. I can adjust the course as you're running it if it seems too easy or too hard."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked. "I don't want to destroy anything."

The X-Men all chuckled. "Buffy, you'd be amazed at how many times this room's been destroyed and put back together, even with holographic enemies," Scott explained. "Professor X and Jean love it when we trash the room, because it gives them an excuse to upgrade the equipment."

Buffy shrugged. "Okay…"

A moment later the gate in front of her dropped and she sprinted forward. The first obstacle was a rope hanging over a large ditch. Leaping up and forward, she grabbed the rope, her momentum swinging her forward. At the apex of her forward swing, she released the rope, executed a perfect forward flip, and landed on her feet well beyond the edge of the pit. The second her boots touched the ground she was off again.

Next was a low frame that she was technically supposed to roll underneath. She smirked and jumped again, her feet landing on one of the narrow beams that made up the frame. She darted forward across the beam, her balance perfect, even on the span that was barely wider than her feet. Jumping off at the far end, she encountered a water trap with little lily-pad type crossing stones. Shrugging, she ran forward, her feet never pausing as she leapt lightly from stone to stone. Her boots didn't even get wet as she crossed.

As she headed towards a tall scaling wall, she glanced over to where Scott and the others stood and smirked at the jaw-dropped expressions on their faces. Jumping, she grabbed one of the protrusions on the scaling wall and shimmied up it like going up a ladder. Deciding to give them a real eyeful, as she reached the top she planted her hands on the top of the wall and pulled herself into a handstand. She held it for several seconds, then pushed off and executed a forward flip and twist that would probably put a professional gymnast to shame.

A gate barred her way. She could see it that it was the same kind of puzzle that Xavier had given Scott, with a key dangling above her reach…or so he thought. She ignored the key, took a running leap and flipped over the gate with ease.

Apparently, Xavier had anticipated her action, because as her feet touched the ground, a trap door opened beneath her and, without enough warning to leap clear, she tumbled into a large pit.

Standing to her feet, she found herself actually grateful for the ugly uniform she was wearing. Although it was bulky, that tumble would have given her bruises if she hadn't been wearing it. She glanced at the Professor's trap. It was a smooth walled pit, too tall even for her to leap out of. She nodded. He was learning. Not enough, however. Striding to the wall, she pulled back and punched, creating a fist sized crater in the wall.

Her feet impacted the wall directly after, and she proceeded to climb out of the pit, making her own ladder by punching holes in the wall and scaling it with ease. As she reached the top, she pulled herself out and rolled to her feet. Hurrying forward, she encountered another low trap, but this one was a solid wall with a gap between it and the floor. Sighing, she backed up a bit, then charged forward and dove onto her stomach just before she reached the wall, the smooth floor allowing her to slide through the gap like she'd been greased.

Scott made his way up to the observation room, where the Professor was manipulating the computer. "Sir?"

"Scott…this is fascinating. I would never have believed that your cousin could move like this without being a mutant," Xavier commented.

Scott nodded. "I know. I wish we could get her to join the team. She could be such a help to us, and I haven't even seen her fight yet." He was quiet as he watched his cousin easily navigate a balancing beam over another gap in the floor. He knew that look on her face. She was bored.

Xavier nodded. "The second part is ready. She didn't even realize what I was doing. I'll let Ororo run her course, first, unless Buffy wants to go straight into the combat. Perhaps she'll demonstrate for us first, by herself, before Ororo goes, so I can work on improving the program based on what she shows us."

"I'll ask her," Scott said, leaving the room and heading back to the group.

Just then, Buffy ran across the finish line, and came to a stop. She wasn't even breathing hard, and her face wasn't sweaty. Her hair was slightly messed up from her tumble into the Professor's trap, but other than that she looked like she'd just gone for an easy jog.

"Tough enough for you?" she asked with a grin at the looks on the X-Men's faces.

"I think so," Scott said, shaking his head. He glanced up at the observation room. "How'd she do, sir?"

"Amazingly well," Xavier called down. "She completed the course in two and a half minutes. The computer had projected that it would take her almost ten minutes."

Buffy giggled, and quickly pulled out her ponytail, running her hands through her hair to settle it, before securing it back into place. "Slayers tend to perform well above expectations," she called up to him.

"I see that," he commented. "Buffy, before Ororo runs her course, would you be willing to spar against some computer opponents?"

She frowned. "I thought you wanted everyone to get a warm-up course in first."

"I do, however, I have no idea how strong to make your opponents to make it a challenge for you. I didn't get much of an impression from Angel or you about your fighting stamina, and I'm not the best person to judge a vampire's strength. If you do a short sparring session now, I can improve the program while Ororo runs her course, so that when you're showing the others your skills, you'll be fighting opponents that are at your level."

Buffy pondered the request. It made sense. She nodded. "Okay."

A moment later, the room returned to it's normal, empty look. "Buffy, what do you need to fight a vampire?" Xavier asked.

She looked sharply up at the control room. "Excuse me?'

"I was attempting to program vampires as enemies for you, since that is what you fight regularly. Unfortunately, the information that Mr. Giles gave me didn't tell me much about how to fight them."

Buffy's mouth tightened. "Wooden stakes or something that will let me do some decapitation would be best."

Scott and the others glanced at each other as they heard the tightness in Buffy's voice. _**She doesn't sound happy, Scott**_, Jean observed.

_I know, Jean. Don't worry_. Scott tried to reassure her. He stepped closer to Buffy. "You okay, Squirt?"

"Fine. Let's do this," she said, turning away from him as a table appeared with several stakes and a few axes appeared. She picked up the stakes, in preparation to hiding them on her person, only to realize that the X-Men's uniform was too tight to allow her to hide weapons anywhere. "I need to go change. I need places to put my weapons. This uniform isn't going to work," she said, heading for the door.

The three X-Men looked at her in confusion, but their questions were answered when Buffy returned a few minutes later, wearing a pair of hip-slung jeans, a white blouse, a light-weight leather jacket, and heeled boots. A flash of silver around her throat caught Scott's attention, and he looked closer, noticing that she was wearing a small silver cross. Stepping back up to the weapons table, she looked over the weapons. Picking up two slender stakes, she slid them up the sleeves of her jacket. A third stake was tucked behind her back in the waistband of her jeans.

She hefted several axes, before selecting a small, sharp one. Looking up at the control room, she called out, "Professor, could I get some crosses too?"

"Crosses?" Scott asked.

Buffy smiled. "Vampire repellent. Shove one in their faces and they tend to back off pretty quickly." A moment later, the computer compensated for her request and several wooden crosses appeared on the table next to where the stakes lay. Buffy selected one, holding it loosely in her hand, and slipped a second one into the pocket of her jeans.

Stepping a fair distance away from the table, she rolled her shoulders to loosen the tension, and then looked up at Xavier. "Go ahead," she called.

There was a moment of pause and then a figure shimmered into sight. It was roughly six inches taller than Buffy, and built like an athlete. Xavier had relied on his own memories and impressions of the vampires that had attacked them outside the hospital to program this one.

At first glance, Buffy noted that he had nailed the physical features. The heavy brow ridge was there, as were the burning yellow eyes and the long, pointy fangs. For lack of knowledge, he had dressed the vampire like a gang member, which wasn't that far off the mark.

The vampire snarled at its audience, lunging towards the other X-Men, not realizing that Xavier had erected a barrier so they could watch without being in danger if it got away from Buffy.

There was no need for a barrier though. Buffy moved like a striking snake and intercepted it before it could take a step, grabbing its collar and throwing it back several feet with ease.

"Hey, I'm the one you should be focused on, fang-face," she taunted.

The vampire only growled and rolled back to its feet, before lunging after Buffy again. She dodged easily and brought her leg up in a sharp roundhouse kick, impacting with the vampire's face, staggering it. Before it could recover, she was behind it, and slammed her elbow down onto it's back, bringing it to its knees.

The vampire scrambled to get away from her, but Buffy stalked it relentlessly, her face tight and emotionless. It attempted to kick her, but she blocked it, before retaliating with a back-fist to the face.

Scott and the rest of the team watched in awe as Buffy proceeded to kick the vampire's ass all over the Danger Room, without breaking a sweat. The vampire managed to land one punch to Buffy's face, hard enough to snap her head around. She turned back to face the vampire, slowly, and if the vampire was afraid of her before…the look on her face was enough to terrify Scott and he wasn't on the receiving end of her anger.

Buffy gave the vampire a truly pissed off look, before lunging forward and slamming her fist into its face, over and over again, until it was on the ground, its face a bloody mess. She kicked it several times, before kicking it onto its back and then yanking the stake out of the waistband of her jeans. Dropping down onto the vampire, she raised the stake and plunged it downward, nailing the vampire perfectly in the heart. There was a moment's pause and then the vampire slowly crumbled into dust.

Buffy knelt on the ground for a long moment, before rising to her feet and brushing off the dust that had accumulated on the legs of her jeans from kneeling in the remains of the vampire.

Scott approached her, as the Professor lowered the barrier that he had put up. "Buffy? You okay?"

"Fine." She took a few deep breaths, and then looked up at the control room. "How was that, Professor?"

Xavier's voice called back over the intercom. "Will you tell me, please? I haven't fought vampires, so I'm not sure how accurately I programmed its strength and reactions."

Buffy's lips tightened. "If it was supposed to be a fledgling, it was pretty close. I'd make it a little stronger though, and not quite so slow on the uptake. Even fledglings have some self-preservation instincts. If it was supposed to be a regular vamp, it'd be a lot stronger, a lot faster, and might have landed more than the one blow. A Master…" she paused and Scott could see she was trying to contain her emotions. "A Master would have been much more confident, would probably have bantered back with me, and would certainly have been able to hold his own in a fight like that."

"Very well. Would you like me to send it out again so you can show some things to Scott and the others, or would you like a break while I reprogram it?"

"A break would be nice," Buffy replied, quietly. "Oh, and when they get a stake in the heart, they tend to explode, not crumble slowly."

"All right. Go and join Scott and Jean while I set up Ororo's course," Xavier said as he made the weapons table and all the weapons Buffy was carrying disappear as he ended the program.

Buffy wandered back over to where Jean was standing, Scott trailing her. Unnoticed, he looked up at the control room and nodded slowly. _I think it's time, Professor_, he thought at his mentor.

_**Understood. I'm activating the program…now.**_

Ororo reached the general area where the others had started their courses. Just then there was a bright flash and the lights overhead flickered for a moment. Everyone's eyes snapped upward to the control room, in time to see the control panel explode in front of Xavier.

"Professor!" Scott yelled.

There was a snapping noise and the lights flickered again, before several figures materialized. Three identical holographic vampires appeared and immediately lunged towards the group. Ororo, the person furthest away from them, was in the most danger. She backpedaled away from it quickly, summoning her powers to herself as her eyes turned a solid white.

"Buffy! What do we do?" Jean called, holding one of the vampires at bay with her telekinesis, as Scott tried to get into position to blast it, while avoiding the third vampire.

Buffy reached for one of the stakes, only to realize that when Xavier canceled the program he had caused all her hidden weapons to vanish as well. Taking a more direct approach, she leaped forward, flipping over Jean's head and grabbing the vampire threatening her, tossing it aside like it was a rag doll.

With a clear shot, Scott took it, and blasted the vampire into dust. Before he could focus on another one, however, the one that had come after him grabbed him from behind and twisted him into a headlock. He bucked, trying to throw it off balance long enough to break free, but couldn't. "Buffy!" he called, feeling the vampire's breath on his neck.

His cousin turned and looked at him. Running towards him, she leaped into a flying kick, the heel of her boot smashing into the vampire's face, just as its fangs brushed the back of Scott's neck. The vampire flew back ten feet, and Scott fell to the ground as the vampire released him.

Ororo called across the room, "Buffy! Will lightning affect them?"

Buffy blinked. "I'm not sure! I've never seen a vampire struck by lightning before!"

"Shield your eyes!" the weather witch called out, just before summoning a bolt of lightning, which struck the vampire squarely in the chest. The vampire immediately exploded into fire, and a moment later was nothing but ashes.

Buffy had taken advantage of Ororo taking care of her vampire by stalking the one that had attacked Scott and pummeling it in a similar way to the first holographic vampire. Her Slayer senses were tingling. Holograms or not, her inner Slayer recognized these things as vampires.

"Buffy, move!" Scott called, and she ducked as Scott blasted the last vampire with his optic blasts, turning it into dust.

Everyone paused, taking great breaths to calm unsettled nerves. Scott went to Jean, while Ororo came over to join them. Buffy stayed where she was for a moment, before walking over to the others.

"That was fun," she said wryly.

"Professor, are you okay?" Jean called up, remembering the console exploding.

_**I'm fine, my dear, but I need some help. The force of the console exploding knocked over my wheelchair**_, Xavier projected into their minds.

Scott headed for the lift leading to the control room and had almost reached it when Buffy stiffened, her Slayer senses screaming at her. She was too late, however, as something else materialized behind Scott. Before she could shout a warning, the new figure grabbed her cousin and pinned him up against its chest, deformed face looking over Scott's shoulder, its hand on the visor Scott wore.

"Well done, little Slayer," an all-too familiar voice taunted.

"No…" Buffy breathed. She backed up several paces, her gaze fixed on the figure of the Master.

* * *

**pokes head out Don't kill me!**


	24. Broken Spirit

_Chapter Twenty-Four: __**Broken Spirit**_

_It hasn't always been this way  
I remember brighter days  
Before the dark ones came  
Stole my mind  
Wrapped my soul in chains _

Now I live among the dead  
Fighting voices in my head  
Hoping someone hears me crying in the night  
And carries me away 

_-Casting Crowns "Set Me Free"_

"Surprised little Slayer?" the Master taunted, pulling Scott closer to him.

"No…this isn't happening. You're not here…" Buffy muttered, backing away quickly, her eyes fixed on the evil face of _him_. Around them the room seemed to be fading, flickering out of view, only to reappear as _that place_. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the light dimmed eerily.

The Master took several steps closer to her. "I told you, Slayer. You're the one who set me free. You'll never be rid of me."

_No…nonononononono…_Buffy's thoughts were in a whirl, but she couldn't seem to do anything except retreat.

"Buffy! Help him!" Jean called, easing back several steps as the Master drew abreast of them.

"Not here…not real…" Buffy muttered, pressing back against the wall.

"Buffy…S…Squirt…" Scott wheezed through the grip the Master had on his throat.

"This one helped to break you free of my grasp," the Master hissed softly. "He will be the first to pay."

The Master forced Scott's head to the side, exposing his neck. "Soon, you will follow, little Slayer."

Buffy sank to the ground, drawing her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them, not looking. She began to shake. "No…no….not here, not real…just a program…"

"Buffy!" Scott managed, feeling the Master's breath on his neck.

"Say good-bye…" the Master breathed, just before his fangs plunged into Scott's neck.

Scott gasped, as Jean and Ororo screamed. "Scott! No!" Jean cried, trying to get to her boyfriend, only to be held back by her friend.

Buffy pulled herself tighter, sobbing, unable to look as the Master killed her cousin. _No…no…_ "Scott, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No…." she muttered, drawing herself in as tightly as she could, expecting to feel the Master's fangs in her throat any moment.

* * *

_Apparently, the Professor knows more about vampires than he let on_, Scott thought as the holographic version of the Master grabbed him, holding him tightly. Scott remembered how strong the vampires that had attacked them in Sunnydale had been, but the Master was much stronger. He had no leverage to try to break free, and with the Master's hand on his visor, he didn't dare struggle and risk losing his visor.

When the Master bit him, Scott was astonished at how much it hurt. Xavier had apparently programmed his own memories of being bitten into the program, and now Scott felt it. He truly expected to feel blood running down his neck, but just then the lights flickered again and he fell to his knees as the Master disappeared.

Shaking his head, he looked up to see that the Danger Room had returned to normal. Reaching up, he felt the place on his neck where the Master had bitten him, only to discover a tender area that he knew from experience would bruise spectacularly.

Looking around the room, he could see the confusion on Jean and Ororo's faces, but as they moved towards them, he shook his head and looked around to find Buffy. What he saw almost broke his heart.

Buffy was huddled on the ground in a similar position to the one she had been in when he had seen her on the Astral Plane, sobbing her heart out and shaking like a leaf. She had pulled into herself as tightly as she possibly could.

Scott pulled himself to his feet as Xavier came down the lift from the control room, stopping his wheelchair just a few feet away from the younger man. "Scott are you all right?"

Scott nodded and approached his cousin. He knelt down beside her and reached out to touch her shoulder. "Buffy?"

"No…I'm s-sorry Scotty…I'm s-so s-sorry…this is a dream…s-someone help me…please…" she cried, her voice hitching with sobs.

"Buffy. Look at me please," Scott said, leaning forward and trying to tip her head up so she could see his face. She pulled into herself even more if that was possible. He sighed and leaned towards her, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. He tried to rock her slightly, like he had when she was a little girl. "I'm here, Buffy. I'm all right. Please look at me, Buffy, you're breaking my heart," he pleaded with her.

The two of them stayed like that for several minutes. Jean and Ororo edged over to Xavier. "Professor? What's going on?" Jean asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Jean," the older man said quietly. "Nothing happened to me. We did this to help Buffy. Now Scott just needs to get through to her."

"How is this going to help her, sir?" Storm asked, looking at the pair kneeling on the floor, her sadness for Buffy reflected in her exotic, dark eyes.

Xavier didn't answer, instead watching his protégé and the Slayer on the floor closely. Scott had to get through to her for this to have any chance of success.

Scott simply held his cousin, and slowly, he felt her shaking ease as she ran out of tears. She fell silent, her voice horse from her bout of tears and her mutterings. He took a chance and let go of her, pulling back enough so that he could tip her head up. "Squirt? Are you okay?"

Heart-broken, fearful green eyes looked up at him, blank, with no understanding in them. They slowly roamed over his face and down to his neck, where the bruise was beginning to form, but otherwise the skin was unmarked. Her eyes drifted back up to his face, and not for the first time, Scott cursed the fact that his eyes were forced to be hidden behind his visor. He wanted to look into her eyes, and show her that he was all right. He missed so much of the world hiding behind his visor.

"S-s-Scotty?" she managed. Her eyes began to fill with tears again, and Scott reached out and gently brushed her face.

"Ssh…I'm okay, Buffy. You're safe, nothing here can hurt you anymore," he whispered.

She choked back her tears. "S-scotty, _he _was here again. It happened again…and this time I couldn't stop him from hurting you…you were turned…all because of me…"

"Buffy!" he said more forcefully, trying to snap her out of her tears before she pulled away again. "I'm here. I'm fine. He can't hurt you again. You're in the Danger Room Buffy. It wasn't a dream, he didn't turn me. I'm fine." Picking up one of her hands, he rested it on his chest, over his heart, so she could feel it still beating.

She blinked back tears. "You…you're still alive? I saw it…I saw him hurt you."

"No, Buffy. Nothing here is real, remember?" Scott replied. "Nothing can hurt you in this room." _Except me, and I did_, he thought guiltily. "Come on, Squirt. Let's get you to bed, so you can rest. I'll stay with you, I won't leave you. I promised you a long time ago that I would always be here when you needed me." He disentangled them long enough to get to his feet, before bending down and pulling Buffy to hers, and then sweeping her into his arms.

Exiting the Danger Room, he moved up to the main levels of the mansion and up to the third floor. He carried Buffy to her room, and placed her on her bed, sitting down on the edge of it beside her. Reaching to the foot of the bed, he pulled a neatly folded quilt into his lap and spread it out, then spread it over top of his cousin, tucking it in around her. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, before pulling back and stroking her hair, his heart breaking at the lost, scared look that she had given him. "Go to sleep, Squirt. I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise." He continued to stroke her hair until she drifted off into an uneasy, exhausted sleep.

* * *

_It was dark._

_She moved through the darkness, all of her senses alert and keen for danger. A stake was in her right hand, and her left hand was clenched at her side. Something was out there. _He_ was out there. She knew it. She could sense him._

_The silence was broken by the sound of a foot striking stone. She tensed, slowing her breathing, shifting her weight to her back foot as she slipped into a defensive stance. All of her senses were trained behind her, waiting…_

Not yet…not yet…almost…now!_ she thought, whirling around, her stake coming up and forward as she aimed for the heart._

_Her stalker grabbed her wrist, stopping her just before the stake would have impacted his chest. "Buffy?" a familiar voice questioned. "What are you doing?"_

"_Scotty?" she breathed out sharply. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"_

"_Sorry," he said, faint amusement in his voice. In the darkness, his eyes glowed faintly behind his tinted glasses. "You didn't answer my question though. What are you doing?"_

"_Hunting," she replied, turning her attention back to her task, tightening her grip on her stake. She moved forward through the darkness, Scott following her. All her senses were directed outward, searching for the vampire that she knew was out there somewhere. "There's a vamp out there, asking for a nice foot of wood in its heart," she continued._

"_Actually, there isn't," Scott said, his voice still holding amusement._

_She paused, confused. "What?"_

"_There isn't a vampire out there," he repeated. Buffy turned, but too late to act as a scarlet beam punched her in the chest, throwing her backwards ten feet. She landed hard, the wind knocked out of her, her chest searing with pain, the stake flying out of her hand. She couldn't move as Scott came to kneel next to her._

"_Sorry, little Slayer," her cousin said as, to her utter horror, his face shifted into the demonic visage of a vampire. "The vampire is right here." Bending down, he grabbed her hair and pulled her into a sitting position. "And that means its time for you to die," he finished as he pulled her against his chest and lowered his head._

"_Scotty, please…no…don't…" she begged._

_He ignored her, and a moment later a sharp, agonizing pain washed over her as his fangs sank into her throat._


	25. Anger and Betrayal

**Author's Note: Hello to all of my readers! Please check out the author's note at the end of the chapter for your chance to participate in the future direction of this story!**

_Chapter Twenty-Five: __**Anger and Betrayal**_

_Without the mask where will you hide  
Can't find yourself lost in your lie _

I know the truth now  
I know who you are  
and I don't love you anymore

It never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
- Evanesance "Everybody's Fool" 

"NO!" she screamed, her eyes flying open as she woke with a start, her hand clamped over the place where she had been bitten in the dream, expecting to feel blood on her hand.

"Buffy! Squirt, it's okay!" Scott called as he jerked awake at the sound of his cousin's scream. He moved from the chair he'd been sitting in and sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around his cousin. Unfortunately, in this case, it was the wrong move.

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground next to Buffy's bed, his head ringing and his whole body aching. Shaking his head carefully, he looked up at the bed, only to see that his cousin was missing. Grabbing the edge of the bed, he pulled himself to his feet, looking around the room, spotting Buffy in the corner near the window, on her feet in a defensive position, her eyes wild with fright.

"Buffy?" he asked softly, not sure what was going on inside her head at the moment.

"Stay away!" she warned, her voice soft, but dangerous.

Scott was confused. "Buffy? What's wrong, Squirt?" He rounded the bed, but kept his distance, seeing her tense up even more.

"Don't come near me, vampire!" she snarled. "Unless you want a stake for dinner, that is."

Scott paused. _Why does she think I'm a vampire?_ he wondered. Slowly, he raised his hands to shoulder height, letting her know he wasn't going to hurt her. "Buffy, it's okay. It's me, Scott."

"I know who you are! You won't fool me by taking my cousin's face!"

Scott shook his head, completely lost. Reaching out with his mind, he attempted to get in touch with Xavier. _Professor? _

_**Yes, Scott? Is something wrong?**_ replied Xavier's calm mental voice. 

_Buffy's awake, sir, and she's panicking. She seems to think I'm a vampire. I can't get through to her. _

_**I see. I'm on my way, Scott. Try to keep her calm, and keep her in her room.**_

Yes sir, Scott acknowledged before focusing on Buffy again. "Buffy, it's okay. Just calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," he said, softening his voice, trying to get through to her. 

She shook her head violently and pressed herself further into the corner. "Stay away from me!"

Scott didn't know what else to do, so he just kept talking softly, hoping that her voice would break through to his cousin the way it had when he had found her on the Astral Plane. This time, however, it seemed like Buffy was determined not to react to his persuasion. Guilt stabbed him sharply. _What have I done?_ he thought. He had only been trying to help her.

_**You are helping her Scott**_, Xavier sent to him as he entered the room. _**We knew there would be setbacks as a result of this.**_

I was thinking she'd just be angry at me, though, Scott replied. _I didn't think she would believe that I am a vampire. Do you know what's wrong with her, sir?_

Xavier moved a little further into the room, putting himself between Scott and Buffy, hoping that would help to calm the jittery Slayer. In fact, it did the opposite.

"Stay away from him, Professor," she called, her eyes wide with fright. "He'll attack you if you turn your back on him."

"Scott won't hurt me, Buffy," Xavier replied calmly. "I trust him with my life, and so do you. You love him, he's your cousin. He would never hurt you, because he loves you as much as you love him." He kept up a running monologue with the Slayer, his back to Scott. Scott, for his part, made no movements, trying to show her that he wouldn't hurt them.

Xavier continued to speak, while he stretched out with his mental powers and lightly probed Buffy's mind, distracting her while he tried to find out what had happened to make her so certain that Scott was going to hurt her. What he found startled him.

_**Scott, she's partially locked in a nightmare**_, he sent to his protégé. _**She had a nightmare where you were turned into a vampire and attacked her. She's awake, but seeing you right after having that dream convinced her that you were trying to kill her.**_

Can you help her?

_**If she'll let me, I can purge her mind of the nightmare and allow her to fall back into a dreamless sleep**_, Xavier said, _**but she's going to have to let me do it. I won't do it without her cooperation.**_

Shifting his focus from Buffy's mind, Xavier moved a little closer to her, reaching out to take her hand. "Buffy, do you trust me?"

She kept her eyes on Scott, but nodded tightly. "You saved me. Of course I trust you."

"Then trust me now, Buffy. Scott won't hurt you. Give me your hand," he insisted gently. Holding his hand out, he waited. Buffy's eyes finally left Scott for a moment as she looked at Xavier and then at his hand. Finally, she reached out and took his hand, and Xavier wrapped his larger hand around hers.

"Thank you, Buffy. Now, come here." He turned his chair around and guided her back to the bed and towards Scott. She tensed again, and started to pull away. "No, Buffy. You said you trusted me," Xavier said softly, not relinquishing his grasp on her hand. If she had a mind to, he knew she could break his grip – and probably his wrist – with ease.

"I do."

"All right. Sit down on the bed, please," Xavier requested. "Scott will stay right where he is." He deliberately didn't look at the younger man, trying to show Buffy that he had confidence that Scott wouldn't make any move to hurt either of them.

Buffy moved slowly, but eventually sat on the very edge of the bed. Xavier moved his chair so he was sitting in front of her, their eyes on a level with each other, and drawing her attention to him and away from Scott. "That's good Buffy," Xavier praised her. "Buffy, I'm going to help you, but I need you to trust me again. You're having a nightmare. I can help you get rid of it, but you have to allow me to use my telepathy on you. Will you allow that?"

She stared at him for several moments. Xavier held her gaze, showing her nothing but sincerity. If he made the wrong move, they'd lose her. Finally, she nodded.

"Thank you," he said softly. "Close your eyes Buffy. I'll be right here with you the whole time, I promise."

There was another hesitation, but Buffy's eyes fluttered shut. She was still very tense, but Xavier took the advantage and reached out with his telepathy, gently taking control of her conscious mind and easing it into sleep with a strong telepathic command. As she went limp, Scott moved behind her and caught her in his arms, easing her to lay back on the bed, before drawing the blanket back over her shoulders.

"Now what, sir?" Scott asked, reaching out to smooth the blonde tresses away from his little cousin's face.

"Now I purge her mind of the nightmare and keep more dreams from intruding on her sleep. When she is rested, she should be more willing to talk to us about what happened," Xavier replied softly.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

She woke confused and a little bewildered. _Where am I?_ she wondered, blinking in the dim light from the room as her eyes focused. After a moment she recognized it as the room where she was staying in the Professor's mansion. Someone had pulled the shades tightly closed and turned out all the lights.

She turned her head, seeing a chair positioned near the bed. A chair that hadn't been there a short time ago. However, at the moment, there was no one sitting there. But given that this was the Professor's mansion, she was willing to bet that Scott had been sitting there until recently. She had a vague memory of him telling that he'd be there when she woke, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

Pushing the blanket off of her, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. For a moment she wavered, dizzy, but after a few breaths the room stabilized and she was able to get to her feet.

Noise from the door caught her attention, and she looked over at it, expecting to see Scott. No-one was over there, however, and she frowned in confusion. After a moment, she realized that she had heard voices from the hallway, thanks to her enhanced hearing. Moving quietly, she went over to stand behind the door, listening closely.

"Sir, how do I tell her what we did?" That was Scott's voice, and he sounded upset.

"We must tell her, Scott. It is the only way we will be able to help her. You knew that when you agreed that this was the best way," Xavier replied.

Scott sighed. "I know, sir, but now I'm starting to have second thoughts. Seeing her like that in the Danger Room, and then when she woke up earlier…" he paused for a long moment. "I hate hurting her, sir. She's my cousin, I love her so much and seeing her in pain like that hurts me just as much."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat. _What is he talking about? How did he hurt me?_ she wondered.

Scott wasn't finished. "We saw what it did to her when we went into her mind to pull her out of her coma, and then we thought that making her relive it would actually help her?" he asked the Professor. "It seems…barbaric somehow."

The memories crashed into Buffy's mind like a tidal wave. Standing in the Danger Room, seeing the lights flicker, the control panel explode in the Professor's face, the holographic vampires and…_him_.

She was only dimly aware that Xavier was replying to Scott's question. The words didn't register as she remembered her horror, and her fear for her cousin's life, and her own fear when she couldn't bring herself to attack the Master. She backed up several steps as her breath came harsher and faster as the memories played through her mind over and over again. She stumbled back and crashed into the desk chair, knocking it over and going down in a tangle.

A moment later, Scott and Xavier both entered the room, having heard the noise. They quickly took in the sight. Scott came towards her and pulled her to her feet. She stood looking at him for a long moment, before promptly reaching out and slugging him across the face with all her strength.

Scott's head snapped around with the force of the punch, his glasses falling forward on his face and allowing a thin beam of his optic blasts to sneak past the ruby quartz lenses. The beam shot out and impacted the wall near the door, just above Xavier's head, creating a fist-sized hole in the wall before Scott managed to squeeze his eyes shut and cut off the beams.

"Buffy?" Xavier asked, looking at his student, who was straightening and adjusting his glasses. He looked at his guest, who, for a lack of a better word, looked completely pissed off. The rage in her eyes even scared him, but it was the hurt and betrayal there that caught his attention.

"You bastards!" she yelled. "How COULD you?"

Scott turned back to face his irate cousin, his hand on his jaw. "Buffy," he started, before he winced at the pain in his face where she had slugged him.

"Shut up, Scott!" she snapped. "You saw what this was doing to me and you deliberately took advantage of it! I trusted you, and you betrayed me!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Buffy," Xavier tried, only to see the Slayer turn on him. He continued, "Buffy, we are trying to help you?"

"How?" Buffy snapped. "By making me so afraid of vampires that I can't bring myself to fight one when someone I thought I loved was in danger?"

Her words stopped both men cold. Scott swallowed nervously. "Thought you loved?"

Tears were pouring down her cheeks now as she looked at her cousin. "I thought I knew you, Scott. I thought I loved you, but if you really loved me, you wouldn't have done this to me."

"Buffy, it's because I love you that I did this," Scott pleaded with her.

"You have a funny way of showing it," she replied, the tears choking her voice.

"Squirt, you weren't sleeping, you were exhausted, and you were hurt by what happened to you," Scott said, taking a step closer to her and reaching out towards her.

"Don't you dare come near me," she hissed. "I don't care what your reasons were. You had no right to do this to me."

"Buffy, please, listen to me," Scott asked, lowering his hand.

She shook her head, the rage gone, but the hurt and betrayal was more powerful than ever. "Who are you? I don't know you anymore. I thought…I thought you loved me. But I guess times have really changed." She turned to Xavier. "I want to go home."

Xavier sighed. "I'll ask Jean to arrange a flight for you for tomorrow morning."

Buffy nodded tensely, then stormed out of the room past the two of them. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't particularly care.

* * *

Scott was numb. His cousin's words echoed in his head. _I thought I loved you, Scott…I thought you loved me…times have really changed…_

"Professor, what have we done?" he asked, his voice tight with a combination of physical and emotional pain.

"What we had to Scott," Xavier said. "We did it to help her, and we still can."

"How? How can we help her if she won't let us near her?"

"Scott, I told you this might happen. Yes, she feels betrayed, and she has every right to. But we can still help her."

Scott shook his head, then winced again. "Didn't you hear what she said? She said if I really loved her, I wouldn't have done this. She's right."

"Scott," Xavier said, coming closer to his student. "Don't let what she said get to you. She'll forgive you. She still loves you, and somewhere, deep in her heart she knows you love her. She's just hurt and angry right now."

"And she has every right to be."

Scott left the room, leaving Xavier to think about what they had done and how they could fix it. He had expected this reaction from Buffy, once she found out what they had done, but he had been hoping that she wouldn't find out so soon. She hadn't been ready to hear it, and now it was hurting their chances of getting through to her. Xavier knew that he couldn't let Buffy go home with her mental state as unstable as it was right now. He had less than a day to convince her that they were trying to help her and to get her to stay.

Making up his mind, he reached out with his telepathy. _**Ororo?**_

Yes Professor? the white-haired mutant replied after a moment. 

_**I need you to find Buffy. She's somewhere on the grounds and she's very upset. She found out about the Danger Room program before we were ready to tell her and she's convinced that we betrayed her trust, and that Scott doesn't love her anymore.**_

There was a moment of silence from his student, before she replied, _She's within her rights to be upset, Professor. _

_**I know, but she wants to go home. We can't send her home while she's still so unbalanced. We have to get through to her and convince her to stay. Find her, please, see if you can calm her down.**_

Shouldn't you or Scott do it, sir?

_**She won't come near us at the moment, Ororo. You're good with teenagers, if you can get her calmed down, I'll try talking to her again. Will you help me?**_

Yes. I'll bring her to your study if I can get through to her.

_**Thank you, Ororo**_, he replied, breaking off contact. He sighed and left the room, heading for his study so that he would be ready when Ororo brought Buffy back. _I'm so sorry, child_, he thought to himself. _This didn't work out the way that I had planned._

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay everyone! I am running a poll at the moment. I have some ideas for future chapters, but I'd like to know what you think before I start writing them. The Danger Room scene from the last chapter was only one of several fight scenes that I still have planned. So, what would you like to see for future scenes? **

a) Buffy fighting real vampires alone?  
b) Buffy fighting real vampires with the help of the X-Men?  
c) Buffy going up against the remainder of the Brotherhood? (Toad, Mystique, and Sabretooth) alone?  
d) Buffy fighting the Brotherhood with the X-Men?  
e) Buffy going up against some other mutant, either with or without the help of the X-Men?  
f) Buffy duking it out with Scott over the Danger Room issue?

Let me know what you would like to see! It's possible that more than one of these things may still happen, but I want to know what you most want to see! 


	26. Reconciliation

_Chapter Twenty-Six: __**Reconciliation**_

"_It seems there's just so many roads to travel_

_It's hard to tell where they will lead_

_My life is scarred, my dreams unraveled,_

_Now I'm scared to take the leap"_

"_Every Man" – Casting Crowns_

Jean entered the Professor's study with Scott, whose face was already turning a spectacular shade of purple from where Buffy had punched him, to find the Professor sitting at the window, staring out at the gently sloping lawns. He turned his head as they entered, and started to smile at them, only to pause and frown as he saw the expression on Jean's face.

"What the hell were the two of you thinking?" she hissed. "Do you have any idea what you've done to her?"

"Jean -" Scott said softly, only to stop in mid-sentence as she frowned fiercely at him.

"That child has been through hell in the last two years, but especially in the last two weeks," Jean said angrily, having gotten a good look inside Buffy's mind when she had been trying to extract Xavier's splintered consciousness. "I honestly don't know what to think about the incredibly poor judgment that both of you showed."

"My dear, let me explain," Xavier said quietly, holding up his hand to stop the flow of words coming from the angry redhead's mouth. "It was not an easy decision, believe me. But it was the only choice we had."

"Oh, really?" Jean tapped her foot on the ground and crossed her arms. "You've never heard of talking about it? Instead you go straight to inflicting trauma on an already traumatized young woman?"

"We had both already tried to talk to her about it, Jean," Xavier said quietly. "Every time we brought the subject up, she closed down on us. She wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating well, and if what I saw in her mind from picking up random thoughts from her was any indication, her fear and her nightmares were devouring her from the inside. If we didn't do something drastic to break the cycle, she was going to go insane from the fear and trauma."

"I didn't want to take the chance on losing her, Jean," Scott said quietly. "I'd rather have her hate me for the rest of our lives, then be driven insane and locked away for her own safety."

Jean frowned. "It was that serious?"

Xavier nodded. "As I said, it was not an easy decision, but both Scott and I saw how little strength she had left to resist the nightmares. If we let it go on even one more night, she probably would have fallen under the pressure in her own mind. Shocking her like we did in the Danger Room gave me a chance to get past her own mental shields. It wasn't meant to traumatize her even more. I underestimated the severity of the nightmares and the trauma that she went through. I was hoping that if she saw that Scott was in danger, she'd be able to fight her way past the fear to save him." He shook his head. "I was counting on her anger and what happened to her and what was happening to Scott to give me an opening to help purge her mind, to reduce the immediacy of the dreams, and to give her some distance from the event to give her a chance to heal."

"Did it work?" Jean asked acerbically.

Xavier winced. "Not in the way that I had hoped. I did get a chance to get inside her mind and give her that distance, but oddly enough, it was her fear that got me inside. When she got trapped in the nightmare a little while ago, I was able to convince her to let me inside her mind to help her. She consented and I succeeded in my goal. She's still very fragile, though. If she goes home tomorrow, the way she wants to, she'll only be overwhelmed again. That city is too dark for her to face it just yet."

Jean fell silent, thinking about the Professor's words and revelations. She hadn't realized just how close to breaking Buffy was. It was true that everyone had a breaking point. It was a measure of Buffy's strength that the horrors that she had experienced hadn't broken her sooner.

Xavier caught her eyes. "Jean, believe me, if there had been any other option, I would have taken it."

* * *

Storm searched the mansion thoroughly after agreeing to find Buffy and talk to her. She knew every hiding spot, nook, and cranny in the place, having tracked down many upset students over the years.

Finally she found Buffy in the stables, of all places, looking at Jean's favorite horse, a beautiful bay mare named Sunrise. The mare had come to the stall door looking for attention, and Buffy was absent-mindedly stroking the mare's nose, trying to stifle her tears.

"Buffy?" the weather goddess said quietly, stepping up alongside the Slayer. Her voice was soft and gentle, and Sunrise whickered softly, recognizing Ororo's voice. "Are you all right?"

Buffy shook her head and brought her free hand up to wipe furiously at her eyes.

Ororo reached out and patted the mare on the neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Buffy shrugged. "I'm sure you already know all about it."

Ororo sighed. "Buffy, Jean and I didn't know anything about the incident in the Danger Room. We were caught completely by surprise. I don't particularly agree with the Professor's methods in this case. I trust him with my life, and I don't think he or Scott meant to hurt you."

Buffy whirled on the older woman, making the mare shy and back up several paces. "You saw what they did to me! They knew what the Master did to me, and then they pulled that on me!" she hissed furiously. "I thought Scott loved me, but he must not or he would never have considered doing something like that."

"Buffy, Scott does love you," Jean said, entering the stables and calling Sunrise forward, offering the mare a carrot. "He was frantic with worry about you when he got your email, and he's been extremely worried about you ever since you got here. He didn't use the best judgment in the world, and believe me, I've already given him and the Professor an earful about their choices, but he does love you. You're all the family he has left."

Buffy turned away from the two women. "Then why did he have to hurt me so much?"

Jean gently laid a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "He didn't mean to, Buffy. The Professor and Scott both underestimated how severely you had been hurt. We've all seen horrors since discovering our powers, and we're adults. We've learned to cope with things that most people cannot possibly imagine. They were trying to help you in the only way they knew how, since you wouldn't talk to them about it. They were hoping that if they gave you a reason to fight, you'd be able to push aside your fear long enough to save someone you loved. If you could do that, it would give you a chance to get some perspective on recent events and be able to think about them logically, rather than just reacting to them."

Buffy turned away from the two women and looked at Sunrise again. The mare whickered softly and nudged the Slayer, looking for more scratches.

"Buffy, Professor Xavier would like to speak to you when you've had a chance to think about things," Jean said. "At least consider giving them another chance to help you before you go home. We're all worried about you, and we really do want to help you. You're Scott's family, and you're our family by extension. We all care about you."

With that, Jean squeezed the younger girl's shoulder reassuringly, before gesturing to Storm to leave her alone and give her some space to think. The other woman followed Jean out of the stables, leaving Buffy and Sunrise alone.

_**Buffy,**_ Jean sent to her telepathically, making her look up at the retreating redhead. _**There's a saying I heard once, a long time ago. "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Think about that before you make your decision. And remember that Scott loves you more than you can imagine.**_

* * *

_Xavier's Study…three hours later…_

A soft tap on the door made Xavier look up from the paperwork he was trying to work on. Running a school took a lot of time and required a great deal of paperwork. Every year it seemed like more and more requirements had to be met in order to remain licensed to operate.

Pulling his thoughts from the morass of paperwork, he called out, "Come in!"

The door eased open slowly, until he could see Buffy framed in the doorway, an uncertain look on her face. Pushing aside the paperwork for the moment, he backed his chair away from the desk and maneuvered around until he was in front of the desk. "Please, come in Buffy. Have a seat." He gestured towards one of the comfortable, overstuffed armchairs in front of the fireplace.

Buffy moved hesitantly into the room, but paused halfway between the door and the chair. "I need to know something…" she began, before stopping mid-sentence.

Xavier nodded. "Of course."

She swallowed nervously, before forcing herself to continue. "Did you really do that to help me?"

Xavier nodded instantly. "Yes, Buffy. I would never deliberately hurt you." He sighed. "Buffy, despite my powers, my abilities, I'm still human. My powers give me a greater insight into the human mind and the human psyche, but that doesn't mean I can't make mistakes. I underestimated how badly you had been hurt, and for that, I do apologize." He gestured towards the chair again. "Please, sit down."

Buffy hesitated again, and then took the proffered seat. "Why did you do it?"

"It was the only way I could think of to help you," Xavier replied. "You're a strong, powerful woman, and I was certain that if you had a strong enough reason, you could fight your way past anything to save someone you love."

Buffy shook her head, blinking back tears, determined not to cry again. "But with everything I've been through recently…and you used my worst enemy…"

Xavier nodded. "It was a mistake, Buffy, and it won't happen again. I promise, and Scott will too. We still want to help you, and we still want you to enjoy your stay here. Scott had made plans to take you into the city next week, and was trying to get tickets for a Broadway show."

Buffy frowned as she thought. "You promise you won't try anything like that again?"

Xavier nodded. "Of course. Although, if you have no objections, I would still like you to work in the Danger Room with Scott and the others and show them some of your skills. No vampire enemies this time. I'll program enemies that the X-Men usually face instead, which will give you a change and a chance to polish your skills on other types of opponents."

Buffy sighed. She still wasn't sure she could trust them, but she had been looking forward to spending a lot of time with Scott. "All right, Professor. I'll stay, but give me some time before you set up another Danger Room session. I still need time to deal with what happened."

Xavier nodded. "I understand, and I do apologize." He thought for a moment, before smiling. "In fact, I know something that you can do to help me."

"Oh?"

Xavier nodded. "Given what I know about your experiences, how would you like to design a scenario for Scott and the others? It will be a complete change of pace for them, and you can set whatever limits on it that you would like. If you want them to try fighting vampires, we can do that, or if you want them to go through some of your adventures, we can probably work out how to do that as well."

Buffy frowned, not sure she understood. "More reliving of my past?"

"Only if you want to," Xavier explained. "If you want to design something original, I'll help you with that instead. It would let you watch Scott and the others in action, as a team, and might give you some ideas of what you want to teach them, if you decide you want to. Plus you'd be up in the control room, so you wouldn't have to participate. You can just watch."

Buffy considered it. It would be a good way to teach Scott the truth about her world, and while watching him run the obstacle course had been interesting, she really wanted to see how the whole team performed. "Sure, I guess. But give me a few days."

Xavier smiled. "I understand. I'll keep them working on the scenarios I design, and it will probably take at least a day to program the Danger Room with your scenario."

Buffy nodded. "All right."

"Scott's in the garage working on his car, if you want to go and talk to him," Xavier told her.

Buffy sighed. "I guess I'd better." She rose to her feet and headed for the door.

"Oh, and Buffy?" Xavier said.

"Yeah?"

"It wasn't Scott's fault. He trusted me when I suggested the Danger Room program. He wasn't too keen on the idea at first, and he really does love you."

Buffy nodded. "I know."

* * *

_Garage…five minutes later…_

Scott huffed in frustration as he spilled the dirty oil on his shirt. He was not having a good day, all things considered. While he normally enjoyed working on his car when he had free time, today it wasn't helping him relax. He was still wound too tightly from the earlier argument with Buffy. However, now that he had started to change the oil in his car, he needed to finish it.

Taking a deep breath, he refocused his attention on the oil plate and repositioned it so that he wouldn't get splashed by the draining oil. Finally, things seemed to be working, and he turned away to get the new bottle of oil.

"Scotty…"

He froze and turned to look behind him. Buffy was standing in the doorway of the garage. Her face was composed, and no longer angry, although her eyes still showed that she didn't fully trust him. His heart sank at seeing that, but he knew he deserved it, and he knew it would take time for her to learn to trust him again. He swallowed. "Hey, Sq…Buffy," he corrected himself quickly, sure she wasn't in the mood to hear him call her by his pet name for her.

She took a few steps closer, although she stayed a good distance away from where he was working, not wanting to get splashed with oil. "I talked with Professor Xavier," she said. "While I'm still not happy about what happened, I've decided to stay, for now at least."

He smiled, relieved beyond words to know that she wasn't going to throw herself back into that pit of darkness that was her hometown. "I'm glad to hear that, Buffy. I'm so sorry about what happened. I honestly did-"

"Didn't know I'd been hurt that badly, I know, Scott," Buffy finished for him. "I've heard it already, from Ororo, and Jean, and the Professor, and now you. I know you made a mistake. I'm willing to forgive it, but I won't ever forget it. I've lost some of my faith, and it will take time for me to fully trust you again. I'm willing to try, but what you did to me…it's not something that can just be set aside as if it never happened."

Scott nodded. "I understand, Squirt. And I'll do whatever it takes to earn that trust." He smiled at her, weakly.

"That's all I ask," Buffy said quietly.

Scott's smile broadened. "May I have a hug?"

Buffy's nose crinkled up. "No way. I have a tolerance for demon goo, but I draw the line there."

He frowned. "Huh?"

"Your shirt, Scott. It's covered in oil. There's no way I'm coming near you when I'm wearing my favorite sweater until you've had a thorough steam cleaning," Buffy replied, backing out of the garage.

Scott shook his head. "Well that won't do at all. If you won't come to me, I'll have to come to you." With that, he lunged at her, but she skipped nimbly out of his reach, turned tail, and ran, avoiding him deftly as he chased her across the grounds and back to the house, with her screaming at him not to come near her the whole time.


	27. A Night on the Town

**Author's Note: I'm back again, and much faster this time! Now that we've got the reconciliation out of the way, I think I'm back in the groove, so updates should hopefully be more frequent. And, finally, after all your patience, here's the chapter that answers the poll that I posted several chapters ago! I was amazed by the response, and I think you'll all like what I came up with! Enjoy!**

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: __**A Night on the Town**_

_One week later…_

"Buffy! Are you almost ready, Squirt?" Scott called from outside his cousin's door. He adjusted his tie as he spoke.

He heard Buffy laughing from inside the room. "Hold on Scott! Sheesh! You're impatient tonight!"

"We have an hour to drive before we get into the city, Buffy, and the show starts in two hours! Traffic is going to be terrible, and we'll probably have to walk to the theater," Scott replied.

"All right, already!" Buffy exclaimed, opening the door and stepping out. "I'm ready!" She twirled a little bit in front of the door so Scott could take in her appearance. "Am I properly dressed for Broadway?"

Scott took in the sight of his cousin and smiled. Buffy was wearing a knee-length evening gown that Ororo and Jean had taken her shopping for the previous day. Although he couldn't see the colors, Jean had described it to him the previous night and given him a telepathic image of what it looked like. It was made of a shimmery copper silk with a beaded bodice and secured with spaghetti straps over her shoulders. Her long hair was wound up into a sophisticated French twist and pinned in place. For a decorative touch, however, she'd skewered her hair with two thin, copper colored hair prongs. She clutched a small black handbag, and wore a pair of high-heeled copper sandals. She looked absolutely fantastic, and Scott's expression said it all.

"So what are we going to see?" Buffy asked.

"It's a surprise, Squirt," Scott replied, pulling out his keys and leading the way down to the Great Hall, where the Professor, Jean, and Ororo were all waiting. Jean held a camera and quickly raised it and snapped several shots of the cousins as they came down the stairs.

Buffy blushed a brilliant red and tried to raise her hands to block the camera's view, but Jean was faster and got the shots off before Buffy could block them. "Don't you two just look fabulous! If I didn't know you were cousins, I'd be jealous!"

Scott grabbed her around the waist as they came up to the small group and quickly planted a serious kiss on the redhead's lips. "That ought to silence any jealous stirrings and remind you that you're the first one in my heart," he said once he broke the kiss.

Jean grinned at him. "I might need more reminders of that sort later."

Everyone laughed and Scott quickly escorted Buffy past the others towards the front doors. His car was waiting for them in the circle drive where he'd parked it earlier. He opened the door and held it for Buffy as she slid carefully into the passenger seat to avoid messing up her dress. Scott closed the door once her dress was out of the way and hurried around to the other side of the car.

"Are you all set, Squirt?" Scott asked as he slid in the driver's side door.

Buffy nodded eagerly. She'd never been to New York City and she couldn't believe her cousin had gotten them tickets for a Broadway show. "I can't wait, but I wish you'd tell me what we're going to see!"

Scott laughed. "How many times do I have to tell you that it's a surprise?" he asked.

Buffy sighed in mock-frustration and turned to look out the window of Scott's sleek sports car. She had to admit that she loved the peace and quiet out here. The Professor was lucky to have such a quiet home.

"Scott? Can I ask you something?" Buffy said.

"I think you just did, Squirt," Scott teased.

Buffy frowned at him and lightly slapped his arm, not wanting to distract him from driving and not wanting to hurt him with her Slayer strength. "You know what I mean."

Scott chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, go ahead Squirt."

Buffy was quiet for a few moments as she thought about how best to phrase her question. "You've been leading the X-Men for a while now, haven't you?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah. Professor X asked me about leading the team he had in mind two weeks after he invited me to come to the mansion as his first student. Why?"

"Do you ever get tired of being the leader that everyone looks to and expects to have all the answers?"

Scott paused before answering. He could tell that this question was important to his cousin, and he didn't want to give her a flippant answer. "Sometimes, yeah. Being a leader is tough, Squirt. But it's something that I am good at, and the Professor and the rest of the team know it."

"Have you ever wanted to just chuck the whole thing and say 'Forget it, I want a real life'?"

Scott shook his head. "No, not really." He glanced at his cousin before looking back at the road. "Buffy, I'm a mutant. I'm never going to have a 'normal' life. As long as I can't control my powers at will, I can't hope to have the kind of life that you're talking about. But I'm content with my life for the most part. I'm doing things that will not only help my friends and me, but I'm helping to improve things for future mutants." He sighed. "The only thing I would wish for would be the ability to control my powers at will. The one thing I miss most about my life before I found out I was a mutant was being able to see like everyone else does. Most of the time, I don't even remember what most colors look like, because all I've been able to see is shades of red for over ten years."

Buffy considered her cousin's point. In some ways, he had the worse end of the situation. While she would fight hard and likely die young, at least she could control her abilities, but Scott was forced to rely on his glasses to contain his powers, and those didn't necessarily guarantee success. In addition, he had lost the use of an ability that she often took for granted, that of being able to see in colors.

The only good thing that had resulted from Scott's abilities manifesting was that he had found a place that was uniquely catered to his talents and beliefs, as he had just pointed out. Buffy, too, had a place by virtue of her abilities, but it wasn't a place that she had a choice in. Scott could choose to leave his place at any time, but knowing him, Buffy had a feeling that he wouldn't leave until he was incapable of rising to whatever challenges were set before him.

"What's really bothering you, Squirt?" Scott asked after the silence between them had stretched for several minutes. Ever since the incident in the Danger Room the previous week, he had been more cautious about talking to Buffy about being the Slayer. He understood that it was a sensitive subject to her, but he still felt that it was important for her to talk about it, in order to come to terms with what had happened.

Buffy sighed. "People expect so much of me, just because I'm the Slayer. It's a lot of responsibility, and it was just thrust upon me without my consent. I envy you Scott. You at least got to choose to be a leader, and you can walk away at any time, even if you didn't choose to be a mutant."

"We can't always control what hand we're dealt, Buffy," Scott replied.

Another sigh. "I know, Scotty, but…I just have difficulty with the idea sometimes. People's lives literally depend on me, and I can't choose not to be the Slayer, because if I do, the vampires win and it'll be open season on mankind. My inaction would destroy thousands of lives, and it still wouldn't save mine."

"What do you mean, Buffy?" Scott asked.

"I'm the Slayer. Creatures of darkness are drawn to me. Choosing not to fight will only get me killed sooner because I won't be ready for them," she replied, her voice quiet, but resigned.

"If I could take the burden from you, I would Squirt," Scott said.

Buffy offered a small smile. "I know, Scotty." She turned and looked out the window, silently signaling an end to the conversation. Scott took the hint and turned his focus back to the road.

The rest of the drive was made in silence until they approached the city. As they drew close, Buffy's eyes widened at the sight of New York at night. Everything gleamed like small, bright jewels. "Wow."

Scott smiled. "It's a pretty amazing sight, huh?"

"God, yes. Sunnydale looks nothing like this. L.A. was similar, but this is wicked." She paused for a moment as she watched the lights of the city growing closer, and then asked, "Could we come back and go shopping sometime?" Jean and Ororo had taken her shopping the previous day, but they hadn't gone into the city. Buffy couldn't wait to go shopping in New York City.

Scott grinned. "I'm sure we could find some time to come up one day," he replied.

Buffy squealed and clapped her hands like an excited kid. "Yeah! Thanks, Scott!"

"You're welcome Squirt," Scott smiled. Buffy continued to gaze out the window until Scott found a parking lot and paid the booth attendant. He climbed out of the car and opened the passenger door for Buffy, helping her out.

She shook out her dress carefully, and then took Scott's arm when he offered it. "Where to?"

"We need to take the subway," Scott said. "There's an entrance just up the street." Together they set off for the theatre.

Buffy looked around, a wide smile on her face. "This is so cool, Scott. Thanks for this."

"Don't thank me yet," Scott told her. "The night's not even over yet."

"More surprises?" Buffy asked, wondering at the tone in his voice.

"Maybe."

Scott paid for the subway and the trip was accomplished with idle chatter between them. Both were careful about what they talked about, given that the train was crowded and it wouldn't be wise to discuss Buffy's Slaying or Scott's mutation.

They emerged from the subway fifteen minutes later and headed towards the theatre. Scott kept glancing at his watch, not wanting them to be late. "Scott, chill out," Buffy said. "We'll make it on time."

Just then Buffy came to a dead stop in the middle of the crowded sidewalk. Several people veered sharply to avoid her, amid some mild cussing and shouting. Scott had continued on for several paces before he realized that she had stopped. He looked back and saw her standing perfectly still, a look that he hadn't ever seen before on her face. She seemed to be concentrating, the same way that Jean and the Professor did when they were attempting a complicated bit of telepathy.

"Buffy?" Scott turned around and began to move back towards his cousin. "What's wrong?"

"It never fails," she muttered. She glanced at Scott, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Scott. I think I spoke too soon." With that she was off again, hurrying along the sidewalk faster than he could have imagined that she could move in those heels that she was wearing.

He quickly hurried after her, almost losing sight of her when she suddenly turned into an alleyway. Pausing at the mouth of the alley, he placed a hand on his glasses, wondering what was going on. "Buffy?"

The alley was dark and due to the dark tint of his glasses, Scott couldn't see anything inside the alley. He started to edge carefully into the alley, all his senses on alert. "Buffy?" he called again, softer, not wanting to alert an enemy to their presense.

"Is this a private party?" he heard her ask from somewhere up ahead of him. Picking up his pace, he rounded a corner of the alley and was forced to stop and stare.

Buffy was facing down two vampires that had picked up a little snack a few moments ago. The women were fighting hard to get away, but the vampires held onto them tightly. One of the vampires looked up and waved a hand at Buffy as if dismissing a child. "Run along little girl."

Buffy shook her head. "Wrong move, vamp-face." With that she charged the two vampires, leaping at the last minute and vaulting over top of them. She landed easily, despite the (to Scott) insanely high heels that she was wearing. Grabbing the shoulders of the vampire closest to her, she yanked hard, pulling him away from his victim and executing an expert judo throw that landed the vampire on his back ten feet away.

The second vampire, seeing this, released his own victim. The two women scrambled to their feet and ran for the mouth of the alley, slamming into Scott and almost knocking him off his feet in their panic. He retained his balance as the women continued on, and returned his attention to his cousin.

Buffy was dealing with the second vampire while the first one was stunned. Twisting in a flurry of skirts, she brought her right leg up and around, round-housing the vampire right in the mouth with the heel of her shoe. Scott winced as the vampire staggered back from the force of the blow. _That looked like it hurt,_ he mused, his own jaw aching in remembered pain from the punches that Buffy had laid on him in Sunnydale and after the Danger Room incident.

His cousin quickly followed up on the kick with a punch to the mid-section that doubled the vampire over. Swinging her leg up high, she slammed it down on the vampire's back in a vicious axe kick. The vampire collapsed on the ground, but managed to get to his knees fairly quickly. Before Buffy could continue the attack, the first vampire attacked her from behind, grabbing her and throwing her to the side. She flew through the air and landed on a pile of garbage. Scott winced as Buffy struggled to her feet, an absolutely pissed off expression on her face.

"Look what you did to my dress!" she yelled. "Do you have any idea how much this dress cost? Not to mention that you're ruining my night out!"

"Buffy, do you want some help?" Scott asked, reaching for his glasses again.

"Hell, no, Scott. Now they've pissed me off," Buffy replied, charging the vampires again. Grabbing them, she slammed their heads together, then flipped them to the ground. Grabbing one of them, she threw him towards a pile of wooden pallets stacked behind a nearby loading dock. The vampire crashed into the pallets, splintering them. He howled in agony as a sharp spike of wood pierced his heart, and a moment later, he was dust.

Turning to the second vampire, Buffy hauled him to his feet before punching him again. Scott watched as Buffy proceeded to kick the vampire's ass all over the alley before flipping him to the ground again. Kneeling on top of him, she reached up to her hair and removed one of the hair prongs that had been securing her twist. Yanking it free, amid a tumble of blonde hair, she plunged the prong down towards the vampire's chest, impacting it perfectly with his heart. A moment later, she was left kneeling in a pile of dust, her hair prong held tightly in her fist.

Buffy looked up at Scott and he fought to hide a grimace. The fight had taken it's toll. Buffy's hair was in disarray, half tumbled down around her face, with bits of garbage clinging to the strands that were loose. She rose to her feet and he could see that her beautiful dress was equally covered in dust and garbage, and the heel of one shoe looked to be damaged and about to fall off. "Are you okay, Squirt?" he asked quietly.

Buffy glared at him. "Of course not! Those damn vampires ruined my dress and my hair! There's no way I can repair it in time for us to make it to the theatre, and I can't go looking like I crawled out of a dumpster." She sniffed and a moment later began to cry.

Scott hurried forward and enfolded her in his arms, not caring about his suit at the moment. "Ssh…it's okay Squirt."

"Damn them, Scott…why does this always happen to me? All I wanted was a nice night out on the town with you. But it never fails. Every time I try to do something fun, it ends up being ruined by vampires or demons."

Scott rubbed her shoulders and rocked her softly. "Oh, Buffy…it's all right. Really. We'll go home and get you cleaned up and have a quiet evening at home. I'll call the theatre tomorrow night and explain it to them, tell them that we were mugged on the way to the theatre and ask to exchange tonight's tickets for another night."

Buffy sniffed and looked up at him. "Really, Scott? You'd do that?"

"Of course, Squirt. It won't be a problem, and I'm sure we can get your dress washed and ready for another try in a few nights…although you might have to replace those shoes," he added, looking at the damaged one.

She glanced down at her sandals. "Yeah." Reaching down, she slipped the shoe off her foot and studied it. "Darn it…I really liked these shoes too." She looked back at Scott. "What am I going to do? I can't walk back to the car barefoot."

"Can you make it out to the street?" Scott asked. "I'll catch us a cab and get him to take us back to the car and then we'll head home."

Buffy nodded and slipped off her other shoe. They headed for the street, Buffy pausing to pick up her handbag from where she'd dropped it at the mouth of the alley. Scott called a cab and a few minutes later they were on their way back to the parking lot. Buffy sighed. "I hate my life sometimes."

Scott nodded. "I understand Buffy. Don't let it get you down, though. We'll get everything sorted out, and you'll be treated to a real night on the town in New York City. I promise."

A short time later the cabby had dropped them off near the parking lot. Scott paid the fare and they headed down the street. The cabby hadn't been able to get them directly in front of the lot due to traffic, but the walk was only a few hundred feet and Buffy was pretty sure she could make it that far.

As they drew near the parking lot they passed another alley and just before they passed by it, something long and green lashed out of the darkness and seized Buffy's arm, wrapping around it and hauling her into the alley. She shrieked in surprise as she was yanked into the darkness.

"Buffy!" Scott cried in alarm and headed into the alley after her. He paused as he entered and looked in surprise at the scene that was unfolding. Buffy was being held in the air by a man who was crouched on the fire escape of one of the buildings lining the alley. She was dangling by her arm and fighting with all her might to get free, but couldn't seem to get free of the man's long, green tongue, which was holding her with ease.

"Toad!" Scott exclaimed. "Put her down, now!"

"Why should we do that, One-Eye?" a voice growled from behind Scott, an instant before he was shoved further into the alley.

Scott stumbled forward and turned around to see a large, brutish, wild looking man with claw-like nails, black eyes, and sharp fangs glaring at him and blocking the way out. Next to him was a tall woman with dark red hair. She was nude, but given the slightly scaly nature of her blue skin, she didn't seem to be all that particular about modesty, since she was more heavily scaled across her breasts and down below her waist. She had three long, angry, evenly-spaced red scars across her stomach.

"Sabretooth? Mystique?" Scott cried in surprise.

Mystique smiled. "Give the little boy a hand…" she taunted, clapping slowly. She began to advance on Scott. "I believe that a little repayment is in order here…"

**Don't kill me! runs and hides**


	28. Meet the Brotherhood

_**Author's Note: peeps out of her hiding place Hi everyone! I'm back! Hope I don't have too many angry readers waiting for me after that last cliffie. Longish chapter today, and here's the long-awaited Buffy meets the evil mutants chapter! evil laugh Enjoy!**_

**Warning: There is a bit more violence in this chapter. I don't think it's worthy of bumping up the ratings another notch, but just so that everyone's aware before they start reading!**

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: **Meet the Brotherhood**  
_

"Damn it! Put me down!" Buffy cried, trying to extract her arm from the green mass that was holding her. The man simply grinned, unable to reply because his tongue was currently holding her suspended in the air. She glanced over her shoulder towards Scott.

Scott was slowly backing towards her and away from the two figures blocking the way to the street. His eyes were locked on the other two and his hand was resting on the frame of his glasses, ready to remove them if he had to. "I don't want to fight, Mystique."

"Aww…how cute. The fearsome Cyclops, leader of the X-Men, doesn't want to fight," she mocked him. The one that Scott had called Sabretooth growled softly, a feral light coming into his eyes. The larger man began to move towards her cousin, and Scott continued to back up, slowly, but it wouldn't be much longer before he was backed into a wall.

"Stay back Sabretooth," Scott warned.

"Make me, One-Eye," the mutant growled.

"Don't forget, the last time we met I sent you tumbling from the top of the Statue," Scott retorted.

A low snarl was his only response.

Buffy turned her attention back to the man who was holding her. "God, can you get any more disgusting?" she asked. Again she attempted to free herself. She had no leverage while she was dangling in midair, but that wasn't her only recourse. Instead, she swung her free arm up and wrapped her hand around the tongue that was supporting her. "Last chance," she began, her tone sickeningly sweet.

Toad gave her a puzzled look, but didn't release her.

"Either you put me down, right now, or I rip it out," she concluded, her voice hardening to leave him with no doubt in his mind that she was deadly serious.

* * *

Scott knew he was being backed into a corner. The situation was not optimal for a fight. He could likely hold Sabretooth off with his optic blasts, but as he had told Buffy, no one had ever tested the limits of his abilities at night. _Something we'll have to remedy in the Danger Room, when we get out of this._ If his power faltered, he'd be vulnerable, and while he was no slouch in the hand-to-hand department, he was no match for Sabretooth. In the past he'd always relied on the power of his optical blasts to deter the other mutant.

More importantly, however, was the fact that he was facing the street. He knew from past experience that despite his bulk, Sabretooth was frighteningly agile. If he shot and missed, he would be shooting directly into the street, and he might hit an innocent passerby.

This was definitely a situation where reinforcements were needed. Keeping his gaze on Sabretooth, and, to a lesser extent, on Mystique, who hadn't moved from her spot at the mouth of the alley, he tried a desperate gamble. _Professor! Help!_

He was praying that Xavier would be able to detect the cry for help. While it wasn't that great a distance from New York City to the mansion, after all the Professor had communicated with them from a greater distance in the past, both with and without the help of Cerebro, his plan depended on whether or not Xavier was paying enough attention to detect his silent call. Scott was not a telepath, and if the Professor was distracted or not paying attention, the silent cry might go unnoticed. If Jean, who _was_ a telepath, had cried out, the Professor would surely detect it, because Jean had the power of her telepathy to back her cry for help.

Everything depended on the Professor now.

Just as Scott thought that, Sabretooth made his move and rushed Scott.

* * *

When Toad made no move to release her, Buffy moved to carry out her threat. Squeezing hard, she dug her long, carefully manicured fingernails into the soft, slimy surface of the mutant's tongue. Slime and blood began to ooze over her fingers and Buffy wrinkled her nose in disgust, but didn't let up on the pressure. She was no stranger to demon goo; this was no worse, and in a lot of ways it was better, because it wasn't getting into her hair.

Toad's eyes widened and began to water in pain as she squeezed, but he didn't let go.

Once she had a firm hold, however, she used her upper body strength to pull herself up as if she was climbing a rope. Lifting her body up gave her some slack and she immediately dug the nails of the hand that he had wrapped up into his tongue as well. She looked up at him and grinned. "I warned you," she said softly, before letting go. Her weight plummeted, and the sudden release of the pressure on his tongue, plus the sudden cessation of pain from her nails distracted the mutant. When her body was jerked to a stop by the hold he still had on her arm, it jerked him off balance from where he was perched on the rail of the fire escape.

The sudden yank from below and the loss of balance distracted him even further, and reflexively he released her arm and she plummeted to the ground two stories below.

* * *

_Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters…same time_

After seeing Scott and Buffy off, the rest of the X-Men had retreated to their own pursuits for the evening. Ororo headed outside to walk in the gardens, which she often did in the summer months. Jean disappeared into the lounge to watch the evening news, since the students normally took command of the television after dinner, while Xavier retreated to his study to finish some paperwork and spend some time reading in peace and quiet, a luxury he usually only got to enjoy just before he went to bed.

The paperwork was completed in short order. It was mostly just approving requests for basic necessities, like groceries, and paying a few bills. As he placed his pen down after writing out the last check, which was for the electric bill, his eyes fell on the thick novel that he was currently engrossed in.

The book lay on a small table next to the cold, dark fireplace, and he quickly went over and picked it up, maneuvering his chair under the floor lamp that stood in the middle of the room. Where most people would have an armchair or a couch under the lamp, he had opted not to place anything under it. He was perfectly comfortable sitting in his wheelchair while he was reading. There was an armchair and a floor lamp on the opposite side of the fireplace from where he now sat, for nights when he had company, but this lamp in the middle of the floor was simply there for his ease.

Opening the book to the page that he had marked the night before, he descended into the wonders of the written word, a pleasure that was all too rare in his everyday life. Between running his school, teaching his classes, mentoring the X-Men, and keeping up to date on his own research in genetics and mutation, he didn't often get to read simply for the pleasure that it brought him. With the political and social issues surrounding mutants, it was one more concern that fell on his shoulders to monitor and keep informed on.

Time passed quickly, but Xavier wasn't aware of it, so engrossed in the book was he. So when a tiny, almost imperceptible cry for help crossed his consciousness, he didn't even notice.

* * *

_New York City…_

Scott braced himself and prepared to lift his glasses to blast the mutant. He would have to wait until the last possible second, to reduce the odds of Sabretooth being able to dodge the blast. He wished he had his visor with him more than ever, but he didn't wear it in public unless it couldn't be avoided. While his glasses diffused the beams and rendered them harmless, with the visor he could control the beams and adjust the intensity and width of the beam to within a hair's breadth.

The mutant was almost on top of him as Scott began to lift the protective glasses, but before he could remove them all the way, a small golden weight dropped down on the larger mutant from above. The sudden impact, right on top of Sabretooth's head and shoulders, drove the large man to the ground, head first.

Sabretooth bellowed as his chin impacted the ground, and made a swipe at Buffy, who was the weight that had dropped down on him. Her eyes widened in surprise at his reflexes, and she ducked quickly, before leaping to her feet and darting to Scott's side. Her arm and hands were covered with slime from Toad's tongue, but otherwise she appeared to be fine.

"Buffy?" Scott asked, quickly dropping his glasses back into place to avoid blasting his cousin, who now stood in front of him in her bare feet and dirty dress.

"Hey Scotty," Buffy shot him a quick glance, before turning her attention back to Sabretooth, who had regained his feet and was advancing on the two cousins again, more slowly this time.

"I thought that Toad," Scott began.

Buffy smirked. "I think he's learned his lesson about grabbing people so rudely," she replied, jerking her head upward. Scott glanced up, and saw Toad still perched on the fire escape, whimpering in pain. Blood was running freely from his mouth, and he was coughing and gagging.

Then there was no more time to talk, as Sabretooth rushed them again. Scott prepared to unleash an optic blast, but Buffy reacted faster. Grabbing Scott's hand, she leapt to the side in a diving roll, pulling him with her, narrowly avoiding the larger mutant's claws.

They both tumbled to the ground, but Buffy was on her feet again in a moment, turning the momentum from her roll into a vault that landed her squarely on her feet. Scott took another few seconds to regain his equilibrium, but he was back on his feet in short order as well.

"Stay away from him, Cat-Boy, or whatever your name is," Buffy snapped.

Sabretooth chuckled, as did Mystique. "One-Eye has a fierce little protector, I see. How sweet," the blue mutant mocked. "Tell me, Cyclops, did you finally give up on that little powerless redhead in favor of one of your students? Tsk. Tsk."

Scott glared at Mystique from behind his glasses, but didn't speak. He knew better than to let the other woman distract him.

"You're sick, lady!" Buffy exclaimed. "I have enough problems without thinking of my cousin as my boyfriend."

Mystique's golden eyes lit up in glee at that news. "Your cousin? Well, well…looks like there will soon be another mutant Summers running around New York."

Buffy made a move to retort, but Scott placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head when Buffy glanced at him over her shoulder.

Buffy studied Sabretooth and Mystique for a moment before glancing at Toad, who was still nursing the wounds to his tongue that she had inflicted on him. After a moment she turned her attention back to Sabretooth. "Could you get any more out of fashion, Caveman? You'd be a perfect candidate for those lame car insurance commercials, you know." She subtly shifted her position into a combat ready stance. "Maybe you should go audition! I'm sure the insurance company would love to know if you're actually smart enough to use their website, although, given your appearance, I'd have to doubt that."

Sabretooth snarled at the insult. Buffy's eyes mock-widened in fright. "Oh, no! Scott, I think I made him mad. Oh whatever shall I do?" She held her hands out as if she was warding off an attack. After a moment she snorted. "Please. I hear scarier growls than that every single night. Angel could probably give you lessons, Caveman."

Scott was trying hard not to laugh, although it was proving more and more difficult as Buffy's insults grew more and more creative.

"And you," she said to Toad, not taking her eyes off of Sabretooth, who was still watching for an opening. "What kind of a name is Toad? I'm just shaking in my shoes here…well, not really," she glanced down at her bare feet. "But really, didn't you think that a more intimidating name might be better?"

Sabretooth had run out of patience. A moment later, he rushed the cousins again, but instead of dodging this time, Buffy lunged to meet him. He swiped at her face, but she dodged and hammered a punch in to his sternum. He tried to grab her and squeeze her, but she ducked underneath his arms, darted around behind him, and kicked him in the small of the back.

Scott took the opportunity while Buffy was distracting the larger mutant to raise his glasses and blast Sabretooth in the chest with a full power beam. The mutant flew backwards and slammed into the wall of the building beneath Toad, hard enough to leave a crater in the shape of his body in the brick.

The double impact of Scott's optic blast and the wall smashing into his head left Sabretooth momentarily dazed. Buffy moved back to Scott's side and turned to face Mystique, although she kept a wary eye on the larger mutant, who she knew wouldn't likely stay down for very long.

"All right," Buffy said cheerfully. "Who's next?"

Mystique nodded and began to clap, slowly, almost mockingly. "You're good, little girl. You'd make a fine addition to the Brotherhood."

Buffy scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Mystique frowned. "I'm serious, child. Someone with your skills would be a great asset to the mutant cause." She took several steps closer, studying Buffy with her golden eyes. "Surely you must have felt the persecution we have all experienced. You must want to strike back at the people that scorn you for being a mutant."

Buffy pretended to think about it, keeping a careful eye on Sabretooth, who had risen to his feet and was edging closer.

"Joining our cause will help to ensure that mutants are given the respect we deserve and it will stop the persecution," Mystique continued.

Buffy tapped her chin with her finger, making the gesture seem mocking. "Hmm…let's see. Scott, what's wrong with this picture?"

Before Scott could answer, she continued, locking eyes with Mystique. "Oh, I know. It's the fact that the 'bad guys'," here she made air quotes, "are trying to get me, a 'good guy' to join their cause." She laughed scornfully. "God, it never fails. Are all of you bad guys members of some union? If I received a dollar for every time I've been propositioned by bad guys, I'd be insanely wealthy."

Mystique frowned. "I see that Xavier has gotten to you."

"The Professor? Nah," Buffy waved off the suggestion. "I just know what's right and what's wrong. In this case, I happen to agree with him, but it has more to do with the fact that I respect him and Scott, and I have my own ethics and morals. You don't survive in my hometown without morals and a strong sense of self-preservation."

"Well, in the interests of self-preservation, you should reconsider, girl," Mystique said with a gesture.

Buffy and Scott tensed in preparation for an attack by Sabretooth, but it didn't come. Instead, Toad's tongue lashed forward from his perch on the fire escape and snaked towards Scott's glasses.

Scott had a horrible memory of the train station incident and tried to dodge, only to find that he didn't need to.

Buffy had already reacted, and a flash of silver was the only warning the mutant had before the blade of a knife sliced through the tip of his tongue, deflecting it from Scott's face. Before he could even react to the pain, Buffy had seized his tongue in her free hand and yanked with all of her strength, pulling the mutant off of the fire escape. He crashed to the ground and Buffy leapt forward, over Sabretooth's head, landing beside the stunned Toad.

Moving with a deceptively graceful quickness, she wrapped the end of the tongue that she still held around Toad, binding him up tightly and knotting the end of his tongue so that he couldn't free himself. She leaned down and waved the blade of the knife in his face. "I warned you."

Scott took advantage of Buffy's counter-attack to raise his visor. Buffy leaping over Sabretooth had given him a clear line of fire, and he blasted the larger man backwards again. Sabretooth slammed into the wall again, landing in a heap a few feet from Buffy.

Buffy leapt into action again. Sheathing the knife in a flurry of skirts, she jumped over to Sabretooth and began pummeling the larger man. Not holding back on her strength, now that she knew that Sabretooth could take a lot of punishment, she treated him much the same way she would treat a particularly strong demon.

Blow after blow impacted with Sabretooth's face and head, until finally he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Buffy turned and faced Mystique, moving back to stand near Scott. "Now you have a choice," she began fiercely. "You can let us go, or I can school your ass until you wind up looking like your friends over there."

Mystique looked from the fiery young woman to where Toad and Sabretooth lay incapacitated.

Scott stepped forward, his hand on his glasses. "You don't have Sabretooth, Toad, or Magneto to back you up this time, Mystique, and you know I can face you easily."

Her eyes narrowed, but she stepped aside, edging over towards her companions, clearing the way for Buffy and Scott. "This isn't over Cyclops."

"Not by a long shot," he agreed.

Mystique stared at Buffy levelly for a long moment. "I'll see you again, girl."

"You think so," Buffy shot back.

"It's a promise," Mystique replied.

"Try it and I _will_ kick your ass," Buffy said. "While you're at it, stay away from my family. I won't be so generous next time I see you."

Together, Scott and Buffy walked to the mouth of the alley. Scott kept his eyes on Mystique, but Buffy didn't bother. She kept her back turned to the other woman the whole time, delivering a backhanded insult at the same time, telling Mystique that she didn't find her enough of a threat to watch.

As they headed down the street again, after stopping to pick up Buffy's bag and shoes again from where she'd dropped them when Toad grabbed her, Scott looked her over appraisingly. "Okay, Squirt. You want to explain what all of that was about back there?"

Buffy shrugged; an innocent look on her face. "I don't know what you mean, Scott."

"Well, for starters, where'd that knife come from? And speaking of weapons, how'd you stake that one vampire with your hair prong? I thought you had to use wood."

Buffy laughed. "Scott, I'm the Slayer. I'm never unarmed. My hair prongs are wood; they're just wrapped in copper ribbon. Still wood, so they still work. As for the knife-"

She raised the skirt of her dress just enough that Scott could see a sheathed knife strapped firmly to her thigh. "Some demons aren't vulnerable to wood." She shrugged, and dropped her dress. "New York is a night city. A lot goes on here at night, which makes it prime hunting territory for vampires. Giles told me all about it before we left Sunnydale, so I packed accordingly. I knew there might be a chance that I would need my weapons if we went into the city, especially at night."

Scott shook his head in disbelief. "You never cease to amaze me, Squirt."

Buffy grinned and rubbed her shoulder slightly. "I know." She winced. "Ugh. I need a long soak in a hot tub, and probably an ice pack for my shoulder." She rubbed it again. "I definitely don't recommend being suspended in mid-air by one arm by Toad's tongue."

Right about then, Scott realized that his own shoulder was aching from where he'd hit the concrete when Buffy yanked him out of Sabretooth's path. Now that the adrenaline from the confrontation was fading, he could feel weariness creeping up on him. Looking at Buffy, he realized she had to be just as tired, if not more so, since she'd done all the fighting, not to mention the two vampires she'd dusted before they encountered the Brotherhood.

"Let's go home, Squirt. A bath sounds good to me too," he replied as they reached his car and he opened the door to help her inside before heading around to the driver's side and starting the car.


	29. New Fears

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: __**New Fears**_

_Xavier's School…one hour later_

Scott parked his car in the driveway. He was too tired to think about moving it tonight, and it was imperative that he tell Xavier about the Brotherhood. Magneto might be in jail, but it was not beyond the realm of possibility that he wasn't still able to direct his Brotherhood from behind the walls of his plastic prison.

Even more than that, however, was the way Mystique had seemed so fascinated by Buffy. He was worried that Buffy was a potential target for the Brotherhood, especially now that Mystique knew that he and Buffy were cousins. If Mystique got it in her mind to recruit Buffy to the Brotherhood, she'd stop at nothing, and wouldn't even hesitate to go after his Aunt if she thought that it would lure Buffy to the Brotherhood.

As they walked up the steps to the front door, Scott noticed with a flash of worry that Buffy was limping slightly. "Are you all right, Squirt?"

Buffy winced, but nodded. "Yeah. Word of advice though? Never walk in New York alleys without shoes."

"Do you need to go down to the med lab? We don't need you getting an infection or a disease from whatever you stepped in," Scott said, concern momentarily flashing to the forefront of his brain.

Buffy shook her head wearily. "No. I'll just go and take a shower and wash them really well. I'll put some antibacterial stuff on them too, and I'll be okay. My Slayer healing will take care of anything else."

"Are you sure? Jean's a trained doctor, you know. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you," Scott replied.

Buffy smiled at him. "I'm sure, Scott."

"What in the world happened to you two?" Jean's voice suddenly broke into their conversation. While they'd been talking, they'd entered the mansion, and she'd been walking through the Great Hall on her way to the library. Her eyes were wide with surprise.

Scott looked at Jean, and then glanced back at Buffy, before looking at his own suit. He winced. They were certainly a sight. Buffy was barefoot, her dress torn and covered in garbage and dust, her hands and arms covered in slime and dried blood, and her hair in complete disarray. He wasn't much better. His suit was also covered with dust and garbage, and while he didn't have any injuries, he was exhausted from the near miss with the Brotherhood. If it hadn't been for Buffy, he would definitely be worse off than he had been.

"It was…an interesting night," he replied.

Jean stared at him. "I'd say so. I didn't know Broadway was _that_ interesting."

Buffy snorted and limped towards the stairs. "Broadway, shmaudway. We didn't even make it to the theatre."

"Scott?" Jean asked, looking at Buffy in concern when she noticed the younger woman limping.

Scott sighed and walked towards Jean. "We had a run in with the Brotherhood and some New York vampires. Buffy saved both of us."

"What?" Jean's eyes went wide with shock. "The Brotherhood? Vampires? I thought that you were going to the theatre!"

Scott sighed. "Jean, can you find Storm and the Professor? I want to take a shower and get some clean clothes on, and then I'll explain everything." He reached up to massage his aching shoulder.

She nodded. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly, noticing the way he was rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Jean. It's just a bruise." He kissed her gently. "Would you check on Buffy too? She broke one of her shoes and had to go barefoot, and I'm worried she hurt herself."

"Of course. I'll get some pain relief cream for your shoulder too," Jean replied, returning the kiss.

"Thanks, Jean." With that, Scott headed up the stairs towards his own room, thinking only of a hot shower and some comfortable clothes.

* * *

_Buffy's Room…several minutes later…_

"Ugh," Buffy mumbled as she pulled off her ruined dress. She looked at the beautiful copper silk. If the dress could have been repaired and cleaned after the incident with the vampires, it was now a total loss. She felt bad about it too, since Ororo and Jean had been so nice to buy it for her for tonight.

Tossing it and the ruined shoes into a pile on the ground, she quickly unstrapped the knife from around her leg and removed the two hair prongs from what was left of the attractive French twist. She set the weapons down on the nightstand, and unpinned the rest of her hair before stripping and heading into the attached bathroom with a wince for her injured feet.

She started running hot water in the bathtub and while she waited for it to fill, she sat down on a chair in the corner of the room and studied her feet. Besides being filthy, she could see that they were bleeding a little bit from numerous cuts. She winced, hoping that she hadn't tracked blood through the Professor's mansion or in Scott's car.

She stood up and reached for a washcloth. Wetting it in the sink, she began to scrub the bottom of her feet clean so that they wouldn't contaminate her bath water. The hot water stung like crazy, and Buffy swore softly several times.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, and Jean called in from the hallway. "Buffy? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jean," Buffy called back, reaching over and turning off the tub before mixing in some of the bath salts that had been left in the bathroom. The scent of sandalwood rose invitingly on the steam coming from the bath.

"May I come in?" the redhead called.

Buffy sighed. "Just a second." She limped back out into the bedroom and reached for her robe, slipping it on and belting it around her waist tightly before walking over and letting Jean inside.

Jean smiled at her. "Scott wanted me to check on you since you were limping."

"I'm okay. I already washed my feet, and I'm gonna go and soak in a tub and remove the rest of the grime," Buffy said, moving back towards the bathroom.

"May I see your feet?" Jean asked.

Buffy sighed, but nodded. "Sure." She sat down in the chair next to the desk and when Jean knelt down on the ground, she lifted her feet up for the older woman to look at.

Jean frowned at the sight of all of the cuts. Now that most of the grime had been removed, she could also see bruises beginning to form. "Some of these cuts look deep, Buffy. They could use some stitches."

"Stitches? In my _feet_?!" Buffy replied, incredulously. "No way!"

"Buffy, you don't want to get infected feet," Jean insisted.

"I won't. My Slayer powers will take care of it. All they need is a good soak and maybe some anti-bacterial cream and band aids, and I'll be fine in a day or so."

Jean looked uncertain. "I don't know, Buffy."

Buffy put her feet back down. "I do." She stood and walked back to the bathroom, trying not to limp despite how tender her feet were getting. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a hot bath."

"All right," Jean replied, following Buffy into the bathroom. "There should be band aids and Neosporin in here already." Opening several cupboards, Jean quickly located the first aid supplies and laid them on the bathroom counter. "If you need anything, we'll be in the Professor's study. You can use the intercom on the wall and Scott or I will come up and help you."

"Okay." Buffy said, standing near the tub, obviously waiting for Jean to leave. Jean took the hint and left, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Once she was gone, Buffy slipped the robe off and stepped into the steaming bath. She yelped as the hot water stung her cuts, but toughed it out until her feet got used to the temperature of the water before settling down for a long soak.

* * *

_Xavier's study…thirty minutes later_

The X-Men all assembled in Xavier's study once Scott had had a chance to get himself cleaned up. Jean had stopped by his room with some Icy Hot and had helped him massage it into his bruised arm and shoulder before they went downstairs.

"Scott, are you all right?" Xavier asked once his protégé made an appearance. He was seated behind his desk, while Ororo and Jean were seated on the couch in the middle of the room.

"I'm better now, thanks, Professor." Scott took a seat in front of Xavier's desk.

"What happened, Scott? Jean mentioned that you had a run-in with the Brotherhood and some vampires." Ororo asked.

"We did," Scott nodded. "We were on our way to the theatre, when Buffy somehow sensed that there were vampires around. She…well, I guess the best word is _tracked_… them into a nearby alley. I followed her. There were two of them, and they had each grabbed someone and were about to bite them when Buffy intervened."

"Were the people all right?" Xavier asked, concerned.

"Yeah, once Buffy got them away from the vampires, they ran. Buffy was amazing to watch. She tossed one of them ten feet away like it was nothing, but then she got thrown into a pile of garbage. I offered to help her, but she was pissed at them for ruining her dress. She beat both of them with a fair amount of ease. After the fight, we realized that there was no way she could go to the theatre covered in garbage, and there wasn't time to find somewhere else for her to get cleaned up. The heel of one of her shoes was broken off, so she took off her shoes and we walked back out to the street. I called a cab to take us back to my car. We had to walk a short way to get back to the parking lot, but when we were almost there, Toad appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her and dragged her into another alley."

"Toad?" Storm exclaimed in surprise. "I fried him at the Statue though. He took a direct hit from a lightning bolt while his tongue was wrapped around a metal rail."

Scott shrugged. "He survived somehow. Anyway, I followed them into the alley, to see Buffy dangling in mid-air, but before I could do anything to help her, Sabretooth and Mystique appeared. They seemed very intent on getting revenge for what happened at Liberty Island."

"Why didn't you call for help?" Jean asked.

Scott winced. "I didn't have my communicator with me. I did try to reach you, Professor, but I guess you didn't hear me. I was worried you might not."

Xavier frowned. "I was rather distracted. I wasn't keeping an 'eye' on you, since I wasn't expecting any trouble."

Scott could tell the Professor felt bad. If he'd heard Scott's call for help, Jean and Storm could have been there within a few minutes. "It's all right Professor. Buffy broke free of Toad, somehow, and then kept all three of them at bay. She really is an amazing fighter. She'd be such an incredible asset to the team."

Xavier nodded. "I know, Scott. But she doesn't seem to be a mutant, although without running some tests on her, I can't say that for sure. She might be the Slayer because she's a mutant, or her Slayer abilities might be masking her mutant powers."

Scott frowned. "So she could still develop mutant gifts in the future, on top of her Slayer abilities?"

"I don't know, Scott. I don't know how the Slayer legacy works," Xavier admitted. "You're cousins, so there must be some commonalities in your DNA. But whether or not the mutant X gene is one of them…" Xavier shrugged.

Scott's frown deepened. "Could you tell if you ran some tests on her…on us?"

"Perhaps, Scott. Perhaps."

Jean frowned. "You sound worried, Scott."

"I am, Jean. Buffy revealed to Mystique that we're cousins, so Mystique thinks she's a mutant. I'm worried that Mystique will try to convert Buffy to her side."

Ororo looked puzzled. "You can't possibly think that Buffy would agree to something like that, even if she is a mutant."

"Not deliberately, no…but to save me? Or Aunt Joyce?" Scott countered. "If Mystique is persistent enough, she'll learn what Buffy's weaknesses are, and she'll exploit them."

Ororo looked skeptical. "Buffy wouldn't stand for anything to happen to you or her mother, Scott."

"Damn right. I'd kick the ass of anyone who tried," Buffy's voice said.

* * *

_Buffy's room…_

Buffy soaked in the tub until the water cooled off. She debated whether or not to run a second tub, before deciding that she'd had enough for one night. Besides, she wanted to go and make sure Scott was really okay. She thought he was, but since she'd been focused on Toad for the first part of the fight, she didn't know if she'd missed anything.

Stepping out of the tub, she dried herself off thoroughly, paying special care to her tender feet. Once she was sure her feet were dry, she smeared some anti-bacterial cream on the cuts and stuck some band aids to cover them and keep them clean. Moving back into her room, she quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a spaghetti strap top, before shoving her feet into her slippers to give her a little bit of extra padding and take the pressure off her bruised feet.

She walked down the hall to Scott's room and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She frowned, and then remembered that Jean had said that they were going to be in the Professor's study. Turning around, she went down the hallway to the back staircase and descended to the computer lab. She cut through the computer room and out into the Great Room. She crossed over to the Professor's study, but paused when she saw the door was open.

"I know, Scott. But she doesn't seem to be a mutant, although without running some tests on her, I can't say for sure. She might be the Slayer because she's a mutant, or her Slayer abilities might be masking her mutant powers," Professor Xavier was saying.

"So she could still develop mutant gifts in the future, on top of her Slayer abilities?" Scott asked.

_What the hell?_ Buffy thought. _Scott thinks I could be a mutant? Why? He knows I'm the Slayer._

"I don't know, Scott. I don't know how the Slayer legacy works. You're cousins, so there must be some commonalities in your DNA. But whether or not the mutant X gene is one of them…" The Professor trailed off.

"Could you tell if you ran some tests on her…on us?" Scott sounded worried.

"Perhaps, Scott. Perhaps."

Jean spoke up. "You sound worried, Scott."

"I am, Jean. Buffy revealed to Mystique that we're cousins, so Mystique thinks she's a mutant. I'm worried that Mystique will try to convert Buffy to her side."

"You can't possibly think that Buffy would agree to something like that, even if she is a mutant," Ororo said.

"Not deliberately, no…but to save me? Or Aunt Joyce?" Scott countered. "If Mystique is persistent enough, she'll learn what Buffy's weaknesses are, and she'll exploit them."

"Buffy wouldn't stand for anything to happen to you or her mother, Scott."

_Okay, I'm putting a stop to that line of thought_, Buffy thought to herself and moved towards the open door. "Damn right. I'd kick the ass of anyone who tried."

Scott twisted around in his seat. "Buffy. Are you all right?"

"Physically? Yeah, I'm peachy with a side of keen," Buffy waved her hand in dismissal. "However, I do want to know what the heck you're thinking Scott. You really think that I'd betray everything I stand for and turn evil?" There was a hurt tone in her voice that she didn't even attempt to hide.

"No!" Scott exclaimed. "That's not what I meant."

"Well, start explaining Scotty," Buffy replied crossing her arms and looking at him seriously.

Scott squirmed slightly under her unflinching gaze. "Buffy, I trust you, without a doubt. I know how ethical you are, but I don't ever want to see you put into a situation where you would feel like you had to make a choice between someone you love and doing the right thing."

"News flash, Scott. Do you realize how many times I've had to make that choice?" Buffy asked. "Ever since I became the Slayer, it's been a constant struggle for me. That's why I work so hard to keep my secret from Mom. Seeing Xander, Willow, and Giles leap into the fight without question makes me sick with dread. They're careful, but they don't have the same powers I do. Every time we fight together, I'm faced with the possibility of having to choose to keep them safe, and doing the right thing if something were to explode in my face."

Scott gestured around the room. "I understand Buffy. It's just that…well, we've been battling the Brotherhood for years now, and I know how ruthless they can be. The incident at Liberty Island is just the latest in a long line of attempts to place mutants in control of the rest of the world. Even with Magneto in jail, they aren't going to stop trying. Mystique knows about you now, and she doesn't realize you're not a mutant. If she digs deeply enough, she can find anything out about you that she wants. She's a computer genius on top of being a shape shifter. If she thinks that she can do something to sway you to their side, she won't hesitate. She'll go after you in anyway that she can, including using your mom, me, or any of your friends as leverage."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see her try. I've already dusted two Master Vampires and hundreds of minions, not to mention defeating a witch, a giant Preying Mantis, a demon robot, the odd demon or two, an insane invisible girl, and I've broken free of the Astral Plane twice. I lost a potential friend the very first day I started at Sunnydale High…she doesn't stand a chance if she pisses me off." Her voice hardened. "I'll take care of the problem that she represents for you, and I'll do it without batting an eye."

The other X-Men, who hadn't heard much about Buffy's victories as the Slayer save her defeat of the Master, looked shocked at the score card she rattled off. Even Scott was surprised. He knew about the Master, and he'd heard an abbreviated version of the Preying Mantis story, but the other incidents were brand new to him.

What worried Scott most, however, was the cold tone in her voice when Buffy stated that she would "take care" of Mystique. "Buffy…you don't mean…you wouldn't…" he trailed off, unable to finish the question.

Buffy stared at him, meeting his gaze squarely, despite the visor, and Scott saw the utter resolve in her eyes. "No one, and I mean _no one_, messes with my family, unless they have a death wish."

Scott wished he had a response to that calm statement. He didn't, however, and the chill that coursed down his spine had little to do with the temperature in the room.

Buffy didn't break eye contact. "The only thing that you do not need to worry about, Scott, is that I will betray you or anyone I care about. I _am_ the Slayer, and I _will_ do _whatever_ it takes to protect the people I love…without crossing that line." She paused, and everyone in the room could sense the conviction when she spoke next. "I will sacrifice every person I care for most…if it means protecting them from evil...and I will do it without a moment's hesitation."

With that, Buffy turned and walked out of the room, not once looking back.

* * *

Scott and the rest of the X-Men stared after Buffy as she left the room, shocked speechless by her firm pronouncement. The conviction in her voice left them with no doubt that she would do exactly what she had promised to do, if it became necessary.

"I don't think you have to worry about your cousin and what choices she would make, Scott," Jean finally managed after several minutes of silence.

Scott continued to stare after Buffy, but when he replied, his tone was bleak. "You're wrong Jean. I'm more worried than I was before."

Ororo frowned. "I don't understand, Scott. Buffy seems devoted to her calling and to her family. I don't know why you would worry about her joining the Brotherhood." She looked to Xavier. "Did you sense anything from her, Professor? Anything that would indicate that Buffy would consider joining Magneto or Mystique?"

Xavier shook his head. "No, Ororo. Buffy may not be happy about her calling, but she has accepted it as a fact of her life. Her conviction stems from that acceptance and her devotion to her loved ones."

Scott shook his head again. "Buffy joining the Brotherhood isn't what is worrying me."

"Then what is, Scott?" Xavier asked quietly. He knew that look, that tone. Scott was quickly moving beyond worried to outright panic.

"Her conviction that she would do anything to protect her loved ones, including sacrifice them all." Scott's expression was bleak. "She's too young to have to make those kinds of decisions. That's something that I would expect from someone in the military, not a sixteen-year old girl."

"Scott, from the little that Buffy has told us about being the Slayer, it seems like she's been fighting an underground war for the past two years. Isn't she a soldier of sorts?" Jean asked softly, reaching over and laying a hand on Scott's arm.

"She shouldn't have to be, Jean. She seems to be in control now, but she's still young. Sooner or later, the responsibility, the horrors she sees…they're going to cause her to crack," Scott replied with certainty.

Jean and Ororo looked between Scott and the Professor, who reluctantly nodded his head in confirmation of Scott's pronouncement. Given what he had seen in Buffy's mind after the Danger Room incident, how fragile her mind had been at that time…he had no doubt that Scott was correct in his assessment of his cousin's future.

Scott rose to his feet and left the room, following his cousin's path. Jean called out to him before he exited. "What are you going to do, Scott?"

Scott didn't turn back, but the conviction in his voice was as strong as Buffy's had been. "Whatever it takes to keep her from that fate." He paused, and when he finally spoke his voice was laden with emotion. "I love her Jean. She's all that I have left of my family, and I _will not_ lose her that way."


	30. Heartfelt Conversation

**Okay everyone! Here's another opportunity for you to influence the direction of this story. Check out the author's note at the end of the chapter for your chance!**

**Chapter Thirty: **_**Heartfelt Conversation**_

"Buffy?"

Buffy didn't turn around at the sound of her name. She stood out on the back porch, looking out at the grounds of the Professor's estate. The moon turned everything to silver and diamonds and she simply watched the landscape. "Yeah, Scott. I'm here."

"You okay, Squirt?" Scott asked, approaching his cousin and resting a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"About what?"

Buffy shrugged non-committaly, and returned her attention to the landscape in front of her.

"Come on, Squirt. Work with me here," Scott said softly. "I want to help you."

She turned her attention back to Scott. "You have, Scotty. Being here, away from the Hellmouth…it's been fantastic. It's just…" she shook her head and trailed off.

"Just what, Buffy?"

"Never mind."

Scott sighed. "All right, Squirt. I'll leave you to your thoughts." He squeezed her shoulder gently, before releasing her and turning to leave. "Just…if you need me, you know where to find me." He headed back into the mansion.

"Wait, Scott." Her voice stopped him before he entered.

"Buffy?"

"I…I do want to talk…I just…" she sighed again. "I don't know where to start."

Scott turned around and came back to his cousin's side. "Start wherever you want, Squirt. I'll listen."

Buffy was silent. Finally, she spoke. "Scott…do you really think that I would even consider joining that Mystique person?"

Scott sighed. "No, Buffy. I don't."

Buffy turned to him. "Then why did you say it? In front of everyone?" Her voice was tense and she turned away, returning her attention to the lawn.

Scott shook his head and touched Buffy's shoulder, turning her to face him. "I'm sorry, Buffy. It…it didn't come out the way I wanted it to." He sighed again. "Buffy, I need you to understand me. I worry about you. I always have. I _know_ Mystique, and I know what she's capable of doing. I…I never wanted to get you involved in my fight."

"Scott, I'm not a child. I'm the Slayer. I can take care of myself."

Scott nodded. "I know, Buffy. Believe me, I do. It's just…" he trailed off for a moment and turned away. "Buffy, even though you're my cousin, I've always considered you to be more like a little sister. You were my best friend after I lost Alex, and I've always felt like I need to protect you." He glanced back at her. "Squirt, I've already lost Alex…if I lost you too, it would destroy me."

Buffy reached up and gently brushed her cousin's bangs away from his face. "Scott…I love you. Don't ever doubt that. I appreciate what you've done for me until now, but you have to understand…I have my own life to live. You can't protect me. I'm the Slayer. My life is always going to be dangerous. I fight hard…and I'll probably die young. As much as I hate that fact…it is a fact. Sooner or later, I will come up against the creature I can't defeat. It may not be tomorrow…it may not even be this year, or next year…but one day, it will happen. If you try to protect me from my fate, it'll only get you, or someone else who's innocent, killed."

"But it's not fair Buffy!" Scott exclaimed, grabbing her hand. "You shouldn't have to be thinking about this! You should be able to enjoy your life! You should be dreaming about going to college, having a career, getting married, raising a family…the things that normal people dream about!"

"I _know_ it's not fair, Scott!" Buffy cried. "Do you _know_ how many times I've tried to just leave the whole Slayer bit behind? _I don't have a choice!_ And I _hate_ it! God, I would _love_ to do the things that any normal girl dreams about. But I can't! All I can do is live my life from day to day, make the decisions that I have to when I need to, and pray that I'm making the ones that aren't going to cost my life or someone else's life!"

She turned away and slammed her fist down on the stone balustrade, accidentally cracking it when she used too much strength. Scott watched her as her shoulders heaved with emotion that she tried to contain. He didn't know what to say in response to her outburst. Tears were flowing down her cheeks now. "Do you think I asked for this to be my fate?" she sobbed, softly.

"Oh, Squirt…" Scott said softly. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to upset you." He reached out, enfolding her in his arms, turning her so that she was crying into his chest.

She shook her head violently. "Scott…I will _never_ betray you…no matter what Mystique or anyone else tries to do to get me to join them…please, don't worry about me, and don't try to protect me. I have to make my own choices and live with them."

"Buffy…I just hate seeing you having to fight this underground war of yours single-handedly. I want to help you." He sighed again, feeling moisture in the corners of his eyes before the intensity of his optic energy dissolved the tears, drying his eyes. "I know I can't protect you…but…I failed Alex…I failed Mom and Dad…I don't want to fail to protect you if I can help it. I don't want to see you have to walk through the darkness alone."

Buffy looked up at him, sniffing. "What do you mean, you failed Alex?"

"We were on that plane…it was on fire…just before Mom pushed me out of the plane, she made me promise that I would take care of Alex…I swore I would…but as I was falling…my parachute caught fire…I…crashed into the ground and was in a coma for a month…I don't know what happened to Alex…the hospital told me I was the only survivor…" he choked back a sob. "I couldn't protect him…I broke my promise right away."

Buffy reached up and touched his cheek. "You couldn't have prevented that, Scott! You told me yourself, we can't always choose the hand we're dealt."

Scott shook his head. "I know…but I can't help feeling like I could have done more. Do you understand, Buffy? You're all I have left of my family. If…"

"Scott!" Buffy seized his face in her hands and turned him so that she was looking directly at him. "No matter what happens, I'll always be part of your family. I know you never wanted me to know about your power, and I never wanted you to learn about me being the Slayer! I knew it would only make you worry. But it's happened, and now we have to deal with it."

Scott wrapped his hands around Buffy's wrists. "Buffy…"

"Scott…please don't make this harder than it has to be," Buffy whispered. "Have faith in me and in my abilities. That's what I need most from you. I don't need you to protect me."

"I just…Buffy…I…" Scott sighed in frustration.

"Do you trust me, Scott? Do you have faith in me?" Buffy asked.

"Yes…yes, I do Buffy."

Buffy smiled, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. "That's all I need from you, Scott. Faith and your love. That will give me more protection and more courage than anything else you can do."

* * *

_Xavier's Study…same time_

After Scott's abrupt declaration, Jean and Ororo gazed after him. Finally, after several minutes of silence, Jean turned to the Professor. "Sir…what's going to happen to them? We aren't going to give the Brotherhood a chance to get Buffy are we?"

Xavier shook his head. "Of course not, Jean. Of course, that's assuming that they really want Buffy. I don't intend to make the same mistake with Buffy that I did with Rogue."

"Scott didn't say that they targeted Buffy specifically. From what he said, it sounds like Toad just grabbed her in order to get Scott into that alley. They didn't seem to know that Buffy and Scott are cousins until Buffy mentioned it," Ororo ventured. "I don't think they even knew about Buffy until they saw the two of them together."

"You could be right, Ororo. But we need to be sure. And, even if they didn't know about Buffy before, they do now," Xavier said quietly. He sighed softly, before looking at his students. "I think that's all for tonight. We'll discuss it later, when we have some more information."

Jean and Ororo both nodded and rose to their feet, and after saying goodnight to the Professor, went their own ways for the remainder of the night. Xavier sat behind his desk for another few minutes, before sighing and turning off the lights. Maneuvering his chair out of the room, he started to make his way towards the security panel, intending to set the alarms on the grounds.

As he passed the door to the veranda, however, he saw Buffy and Scott standing outside. They were facing each other and Buffy was cradling Scott's head in her hands. The door was open just enough that he could hear what they were saying.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be part of your family. I know you never wanted me to know about your power, and I never wanted you to learn about me being the Slayer! I knew it would only make you worry. But it's happened, and now we have to deal with it."

Scott wrapped his hands around Buffy's wrists. "Buffy…"

"Scott…please don't make this harder than it has to be," Buffy whispered. "Have faith in me and in my abilities. That's what I need most from you. I don't need you to protect me."

"I just…Buffy…I…" Scott sighed in frustration.

"Do you trust me, Scott? Do you have faith in me?" Buffy asked.

"Yes…yes, I do Buffy."

Buffy smiled, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. "That's all I need from you, Scott. Faith and your love. That will give me more protection and more courage than anything else you can do."

Scott sighed again.

The Professor paused, listening to the two cousins. It seemed that they were finally having a long-overdue conversation about their respective abilities and the responsibilities that brought to both of them.

"Scott…I promise, I don't make rash decisions, and especially not when the lives of innocent people are at stake. If I have to fight, I always go in with _some_ kind of plan. Granted, I often have to improvise, but I usually have some kind of plan. I'm not eager to throw my life away. I have every intention of living as long as I can and making the most of my life. But I've had to face the fact that Slayers fight hard and die young. I'll do my best to avoid that fate, but it is still a possibility." Buffy dropped her hands and gazed up into the red-tinted sunglasses, wishing she could see her cousin's eyes.

Scott cupped Buffy's cheek. "I know, Squirt. It's just…" he trailed off, gathering his thoughts. "We just reunited. And now that we're truly back in touch, and we know each others' dark secret…I just want us to _keep_ this closeness. Is that too much to ask?"

Buffy shook her head. "No." She paused. "How about a compromise? We'll keep in touch a lot more often after I go home, and any time I think I can use the least bit of help, I'll call you, if you promise to be careful."

Scott smiled. "I think that's fair. And…would you consider joining the X-Men, Buffy? I know you have your Slayer responsibilities and all, but your skills would be such a help to us. After all, if I'm going to come and bail you out of trouble on a regular basis, it's only fair you contribute some energy to my cause."

Buffy laughed softly. "I suppose moral support isn't enough to satisfy you?" Scott shook his head, his grin broadening. "Oh, fine. If the Professor doesn't mind, _and_ **you** can convince Giles that my talents would be of use, I'll come and contribute some ass-kicking and puns to the fight."

The Professor smiled at moved on, seeing that Scott and Buffy had things well worked out between them, or at the very least, were on their way to a better understanding.

The phone rang shrilly in the nearly silent house. Xavier glanced at his watch, frowning as he saw that it was almost ten o'clock. That was rather late for phone calls, especially to a private boarding school. Maneuvering his chair down the hallway to the phone, he picked up the handset. "Hello?"

_"Professor Xavier?"_ a vaguely familiar woman's voice came over the line.

"Yes. Who is calling?"

_"This is Joyce Summers, Buffy's mother. Are Buffy and Scott available?"_

"Just a moment, please, Mrs. Summers," Xavier replied. Putting the phone down on the table and reaching out with his powers, he called out to Scott. _**Scott?**_

* * *

_On the veranda…_

"Well, you know Squirt…"

_**Scott?**_

Scott paused his conversation with Buffy as his mentor's voice drifted into his mind. _Yes, sir?_

"Scott?" Buffy asked. Scott held up his hand for a moment and she fell silent.

_**Would you and Buffy please come to the phone? Buffy's mother is calling and she'd like to talk to both of you.**_

Sure, Professor. We'll be right there.

Buffy frowned at him as he redirected his attention to her. "What was all of that about?"

"Your mom's calling Buffy, and she'd like to speak to both of us," Scott told her. "Professor X just answered the phone and he called me."

"Oh!" Buffy said, a bright smile coming over her face. "Okay."

Together the two cousins went back inside the house and Scott led the way to where the Professor was waiting. When he saw them coming he picked up the handset. "Who would you like to speak to first, Mrs. Summers?" After a moment, he nodded. "Scott, she'd like to speak to you first." He offered the phone to his protégé.

Scott nodded and took the handset. "Hello? Aunt Joyce?"

_"Scott? How are you, dear?"_ his Aunt's voice was calm and cheerful.

"I'm fine, Aunt Joyce. What's up?"

_"I have a favor to ask you, Scott. I just got a call from your Uncle Hank. He has to go out of the country on business next week and he won't be back in time to take Buffy for his visit this summer. Would you object terribly to letting Buffy stay with you a little longer? If she's ready to come home, that's fine, of course, but I thought, given how long it had been since you'd seen each other, you'd enjoy a longer visit with her. Provided that it's all right with Professor Xavier, of course."_

"Just a second Aunt Joyce," Scott replied. _Professor?_

_**Yes, Scott?**_

_Is it all right with you if Buffy stays for longer than we had planned? Her father has to go out of the country and won't be able to take her this summer._

**_Of course, Scott. She's family, and she's always welcome here._**

"Sure, Aunt Joyce. That'd be great. Professor Xavier doesn't have any problems with it."

_"Oh good. Of course, it's up to Buffy, but I thought I would ask before I told her about the change in plans."_

"I'm sure she won't have any problems with it," Scott said with a grin, glancing down at his cousin. "Did you want to talk to her now?"

_"If you don't mind."_

"Not at all, Aunt Joyce. It was nice to hear from you. Hang on, here she is," Scott replied. "Good-bye." He handed the phone to Buffy, before turning to Xavier. "Can I talk to you for a minute Professor?"

"Of course, Scott," Xavier said with a smile, moving his chair further down the hallway.

* * *

"Mom?" Buffy asked. "What's up? It's kind of late." For a moment, given the earlier events of the night, fear gripped her, before she remembered that Scott hadn't seemed at all perturbed when he'd talked to her.

_"Hello sweetheart. How are you enjoying your stay with Scott?"_

"It's great," Buffy replied. "I wish you could see this house. It's as big as some of those Hollywood mansions that you and Dad took me to see when I was little. Scott and I are having a blast." It wasn't even exactly a lie. Between the Danger Room scenario and the fight with Sabretooth and the other mutants earlier that night, they had, literally, been having a blast.

_"I'm glad to hear that, Buffy. Listen, the reason I'm calling so late is because I just got a call from your father. He just found out that he has to go out of the country on business next week and he won't be back in time to take you for a visit this summer. Would you like to spend the rest of the summer with Scott? He and the Professor have already said that it's fine with them, but if you'd rather come home, that's fine too."_

"Really? That sounds great, Mom!" Buffy replied, excited.

Joyce chuckled over the phone line. _"I thought you'd say that. Just don't run Scott ragged with your shopping sprees, okay?"_

Buffy pretended to be upset. "We haven't even gone shopping together yet. Jean and Ororo took me out for a while yesterday, but Scott did say he'd take me into the city at some point. I think he's even going to get tickets to a Broadway show for us."

_"That sounds wonderful, Buffy. Well, have fun for the rest of your vacation and I'll see you in a few weeks, okay?"_

"Sure, Mom. I miss you."

_"I miss you too sweetie. I love you. Everything is all right after what happened, isn't it?" _Joyce's voice suddenly grew concerned.

Buffy knew her mom was referring to the coma she'd been in after the Master. "Yeah. Not even a headache to show for it."

_"Good. Tell Scott and the Professor I said thank you, and you make sure you mind your manners, all right?"_

"I will Mom. I love you. Good-night."

_"Good night, sweetheart."_ With that, Joyce disconnected the call, and Buffy hung up on her end.

* * *

"What is it, Scott?" Xavier asked as he stopped his wheelchair further down the hallway.

"I spoke to Buffy just now, and she's agreed to join the X-Men on a part-time basis," Scott said with a small smile. "Her Slayer duties will come first, but she wants to help us."

Xavier smiled as well. "That sounds wonderful Scott. I have no objections."

"Gossiping about me, Scott?" Buffy asked as she approached the two of them, her enhanced hearing allowing her to overhear the conversation.

"Oh, but of course, Squirt," Scott teased. "What else are cousins for?"

Buffy grinned at him and swatted him gently on the arm.

"Ow!" Scott cried in mock-pain. "Since when did I become your punching bag, Buffy?"

"When you turned annoying," Buffy taunted.

Scott pretended to pout, making Buffy and Xavier laugh softly. As the amusement died away, Buffy turned to the Professor. "Thank you for letting me stay longer, Professor Xavier."

Xavier smiled. "You're very welcome Buffy. And thank you for being willing to help us."

"You helped me, it's only fair that I return the favor," she replied. "Besides, what's important to Scott is important to me."

"I'm glad to hear that, Buffy," the Professor said.

"Speaking of what's important to Scott," Buffy continued, hesitating for a moment, before continuing in a rush, "since it seems that I've become something of an interest to your enemies, can we do something to find out if there's any real threat?"

Xavier and Scott glanced at each other. After a moment Scott looked back at Buffy. "What do you mean, Squirt?"

"I heard you mention some kind of test," Buffy replied. "Can we find out, once and for all, if I'm a mutant too?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, people, its poll time again! Here's your chance to choose where this story goes in the future! Here are your options:**

**a) Buffy turns out to be a mutant with a power different from any of her Slayer gifts (please specify what power you would like me to give her)**

**b) Buffy is a mutant, and it's because she's a mutant that she is the Slayer. No separate powers, all of her Slayer abilities are her mutant gifts.**

**c) Buffy is _not_**** a mutant, she is **_**just**_** the Slayer and the fact that Scott happens to be a mutant is just an extreme coincidence.**

**The way this poll will work is as follows. Make your vote for what direction you'd like me to take this story. If it turns out that you want Buffy to be a mutant with a power that is not one of her Slayer gifts, the power that receives the most votes will be used in this story. The power that receives the second highest number of votes will be used in my other story, _Lost and Found_**** which I am also posting to this site.**

**That's all for now, folks. Read, review, and don't forget to vote for the poll! Oh, and if you have a spare minute, stop by and check out my other story _Lost and Found_****!**


	31. A Brief Reprieve

_Author's Note: *peeks out of hiding* Hi everyone...uh...I know this is horribly delayed, and I do apologize for my tardiness. I just started a job as a seventh grade English teacher, and as a result I've been a little too busy (and somewhat uninspired) to work on this story, but I think I'm slowly getting back into it. I hope I didn't lose anyone during the unintended hiatus, and I hope you all read and review...I could use the encouragement!_

**Chapter Thirty-One: **_**A Brief Reprieve**_

The next morning…

"Buffy, are you sure you want to do this?" Scott asked as he and Buffy headed down to the Professor's lab in the sub-basement.

"I need to know, Scott," Buffy replied. "Even if that Mystique person has no intention of coming after me, if I am a mutant, it's going to change things when I go home."

"I understand, Buffy. But…being a mutant, if you are one…it's not an easy thing to live with."

"Neither is being the Slayer, Scott," Buffy pointed out. "But I've managed thus far. If it turns out that I am a mutant, well, I'll just deal with that too."

Scott shook his head. "I'm still not used to this new, mature Buffy. I keep expecting to see my light-hearted, cheerful, sarcastic cheerleader cousin."

"Well, sorry, she's stepped out for the time being. But if you'd like to leave a message, I'll be sure she gets it," Buffy retorted automatically.

Scott tried not to laugh. "There's my girl," he teased.

"Sarcasm is just one more service I offer," Buffy replied.

Scott couldn't help himself and burst out laughing before reaching out and ruffling Buffy's hair, earning him a dirty look.

Together they entered the Professor's lab, to find Xavier sitting in front of one of his workstations, working on the computer that was sitting in front of him. "Ah, good," the older mutant greeted them as they entered, without turning around from his work. He continued typing for another moment before reaching a stopping point and turning around to face Scott and Buffy.

"Good morning, sir," Scott said warmly.

"Yeah, good morning," Buffy added. She looked around the room with interest. "What is all of this?"

Xavier smiled and gestured around the room. "This is where I do my research on genetics and mutation Buffy. Most of this is very advanced computers and equipment, things that would be more likely to be found in a corporate or government genetics lab."

"Oookay…" Buffy replied. "What do you need me to do?"

"For now I just need to take a sample of your blood," Xavier answered. "I'll let the computer process it and it will tell us if you carry the mutant X gene. If you do, we can go from there and try to figure out what your power is. If you don't have the gene, we'll have our answer."

Buffy nodded. "Sounds good."

The Professor went over to another table on the far side of the room and picked up a sterile tray with a brand-new, wrapped needle and syringe, disinfectant and antiseptic cleansers, and wrapped, sterile gloves. "If you would just sit on that stool, Buffy, and hold out your arm. This should only take a minute."

Buffy nodded and hopped up onto the stool and Xavier wiped his hands thoroughly with the disinfectant and antiseptic cleansers, and then opened and pulled on the sterile gloves. He quickly swabbed Buffy's arm at the inner elbow with the cleansers, then used the needle and syringe to draw a small amount of blood from her arm. He handed her a cotton ball to press over the puncture, before removing the vial of blood and slipping it into a centrifuge and activating the machine, which began spinning rapidly.

"Is that all you need from me, Professor?" Buffy asked, pulling the cotton ball away from her arm.

"For the moment. It will take the computer a while to analyze your blood," Xavier responded. "I'll notify you when I have the results." He smiled at the cousins. "Perhaps the two of you can find something to keep you occupied for the time being."

"Actually, I did have something in mind," Buffy said, a mischievous grin on her face.

Scott eyed her carefully. "I have a feeling that I'm not going to like this idea."

In an instant Buffy's demeanor changed. Her green eyes widened and a delicate little pout erupted on her face. Xavier smothered his laughter, certain that any moment he would see tears rolling down the Slayer's face.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Scotty," Buffy pouted, sniffing a little.

Scott – big, bad Cyclops who had faced down Magneto, Mystique, and Sabretooth, among others, in his time as the X-Men's leader – was apparently not proof against his cousin's pout and wide green eyes. Xavier could sense his resolve weakening in the face of Buffy's expression. He heaved a sigh. "All right, Squirt. What did you have in mind?"

Buffy's pout transformed into a full-blown grin, now that she had Scott hooked. "Sparring."

Scott was silent for a moment and the Professor could tell that he was seriously wondering what his cousin was thinking. Finally, the younger man spoke. "You want to spar?"

Buffy shrugged. "Why not? I know you can fight, Scott. If you regularly go up against the likes of Cat-Boy and Frog-Face, you must have had to fight them hand-to-hand before."

"Well…a few times, yeah. But my advantage has always been my powers. I can hit them from a long range without giving them a chance to close."

"So you need to brush up on your technique then," Buffy said brightly. "Come on. I need to fight _something_ without the risk to life and limb."

"It's the risk to _my_ life and limb that I'm worried about," Scott muttered, before giving in and leading the way towards the door to the lab. "All right, Squirt. Let's go down to the Danger Room."

"No!"

Scott stopped in his tracks and he and Xavier both turned to stare at Buffy. The Slayer was standing there, a determined, almost fearful look on her face. Scott hesitated. "Buffy? Squirt?"

Buffy closed her eyes. "I'm sorry Scotty…I just…can we go outside, please? I'm not ready to go back in there."

Scott winced behind his glasses, remembering what he'd done to his cousin. "Sure Squirt. Let me go and grab my uniform though." He offered a slightly lopsided smile. "I have a feeling you're going to pummel me, and I'd like _some_ protection."

Buffy mock-pouted again. "You really think I have that little control over my strength?"

Scott couldn't help a small chuckle. "No, but I do think that I used to be able to best you all the time when we were children, and that now you have the chance to get some payback."

Buffy smirked. "Well…there is that."

Professor Xavier couldn't help but laugh at the banter between the two cousins. "I do think that I need to see this," he stated as the centrifuge stopped its spinning and he quickly removed the vial of Buffy's blood and slipped it into a second machine.

Buffy offered him a bright smile. "You'd be welcome to watch. So would the others, if they're interested."

Scott groaned at the thought of the rest of the team watching him getting his butt whipped by his petite cousin. "Wonderful." He sighed and then nodded. "Fine. I'll get my uniform and meet you out in the backyard in ten minutes, okay, Squirt?"

She grinned at him. "Sounds good to me, Scotty."

As they left the room, Xavier reached out to Jean and Ororo telepathically and told them what was going on. Both women were very interested in watching, and agreed to be outside at the appointed time.

Idly, Xavier wondered if he should go ahead and prepare the medical bay…just in case.

* * *

_Fifteen minutes later…__**Whap! Whack! Thud! Smack!**_

"Oof!"

Jean, Ororo, and the Professor all watched with interest from a safe distance as Buffy and Scott sparred. They all winced as Buffy landed a savage uppercut to Scott's chin. The blow sent Scott stumbling backwards several paces, and she stalked after him.

Fortunately, Scott's reflexes and instincts had been honed through years of avoiding Xavier's holographic enemies in the Danger Room, not to mention the constant conflicts with Magneto and his Brotherhood. As Buffy drew within range, he feinted a leg sweep at her, which she jumped over, before he quickly turned the sweep into a rising snap kick that caught her in the left shoulder, spinning her around and sending her to the ground in a heap.

Buffy was on her feet almost immediately, using her arms and shoulders to flip herself back upright. Scott had taken that brief moment, however, to reset his defensive stance and now they circled each other, each looking for an opening in the other's defense.

The fight had been going on for about five minutes now, and while both Scott and Buffy had landed several powerful blows, but it was obvious to everyone that Buffy was simply the better fighter hand-to-hand. As Scott had pointed out, the long-distance nature of his power enabled him to hit his enemies from a distance without risking engaging in hand-to-hand, and his technique simply wasn't as advanced as Buffy's. The only reason that Buffy hadn't defeated him in the first minute of the fight was the long training that Scott had had in the Danger Room. It was keeping him up and on his feet, and allowing him to land some blows and counter others, but all of them could tell that Buffy would be the eventual winner of the match. Her petite size and enhanced speed and agility were giving her the advantage against her taller, broader cousin.

Buffy nodded at her cousin's form. "Not bad, Scotty. You're better than I thought."

"I'm so glad to hear that," he replied, his tone slightly sarcastic.

"But…you're not good enough," Buffy continued, leaping forward and launching another attack. She tossed a roundhouse punch at Scott's head, which he blocked with his forearm, before twisting his wrist and catching her arm, yanking it around behind her and attempting to get her into a hammer lock.

She anticipated his move and twisted with the pull on her arm, using her momentum to sweep his supporting leg out from underneath him. As he started to fall, he reacted instinctively and kicked her legs out as well. They started to go down, Scott still gripping Buffy's arm, but she reacted, allowing herself to fall and throwing her weight backward, using Scott's grip on her arm to toss him over her head.

The force of the throw was too much for Scott to continue hanging on to Buffy, and he released her arm, tucking and rolling as he hit the ground.

Buffy landed on her back and immediately rolled back to her feet, leaping on top of her cousin before he had stopped rolling. Straddling his chest, she tossed her forearm down across his throat, applying just enough pressure so that he knew that if she chose to, she could crush his windpipe if he didn't yield.

He lay there, gasping for breath for a moment, before nodding. "I yield, Squirt."

Buffy kept him pinned for another couple of seconds before rolling off of him and rising to her feet. She reached down, offering a hand, and Scott took it gladly, pulling himself to his feet with her help. Once he was standing, he wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead.

"You did a good job, Scotty," Buffy said with a smile. "I'm surprised how long you lasted, actually."

"So am I," he admitted. "It's been a while since I really had to fight hand-to-hand. I'm surprised I was able to keep up with you." He studied his cousin, realizing that her strength was more deceptive than he had realized, even after experiencing a couple of her punches. The fact that she had been able to throw him, when he was over a foot taller than her and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds…it had been an impressive display, and he'd been on the receiving end of it.

"Well, I did see some places where I think I could help you improve your technique," Buffy offered. "That is, if you're interested."

"I might take you up on that offer, Squirt, but not right now," Scott replied, still trying to catch his breath. "Right now all I want is a hot shower."

Buffy snickered softly. "Can't take the punishment, huh, Scotty?"

He frowned at her and shook his head. "Bite your tongue, Squirt."

"Don't you know you should never say the word 'bite' around a Slayer?" she mocked him.

"At the moment, I'm too tired to care," he retorted. Stretching out his back, he winced behind his glasses, knowing that he was going to be sore later.

Buffy's expression immediately went from mocking to concern. "I didn't hurt you, did I, Scotty?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm okay, Squirt."

"Are you sure, Scotty?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Buffy. Don't worry about me. I'm just sore," he replied, offering her a crooked smile. "A hot shower will help a lot."

Buffy smiled in return before looking at Jean and Ororo. "Anyone else want a go?"

The two women eyed the Slayer for a moment before declining. Buffy's shoulders drooped slightly with disappointment, so Xavier took that opportunity as the opening to ask Buffy a question.

"Buffy, since you've consented to join us, on a part-time basis at least, would you be interested in a job?"

"I already have a job, remember?" Buffy replied.

"I understand that your Slayer duties come first, my dear, but I was thinking of something a little different. During the times when you're here, would you be willing to teach hand-to-hand training to my students? Scott, Jean, and Ororo are all very good at teaching them to control their powers, but with adversaries like Sabretooth and Toad, among others, I'd feel much better if they also knew how to physically defend themselves, without having to resort to their powers."

"You'd want me to actually _teach_ them?" Buffy asked, sounding skeptical. "I'm not much of a teacher, Professor."

"Have you tried?" Xavier countered.

"Well…uh…no."

"Then how do you know that you wouldn't be a good teacher?" Xavier replied, logically. "Mr. Giles told me you have an instinctive knowledge of different fighting skills. Is there any reason you _couldn't_ teach them?"

"Well…no, not really, I guess."

"In addition, you're very close in age to most of my students, and you'll relate to them and their concerns a lot more than Scott, Jean, or Ororo can. You've seen the darker side of the world, and you've had to fight for your life," Xavier continued. "Most of the students don't have that same experience. They'll respect you because of what you've gone through."

Buffy bit her lip in thought. She could see the Professor's point, but she had never considered teaching someone else before, let alone an entire school full of students who were her peers in age. High school was crappy enough for her, given the way that she was so ostracized…she didn't know if she could take it from another group of students, especially if she was supposed to be teaching them.

"Let me think about it, Professor," she finally replied. "Besides, we don't know if I'm a mutant or not. Your students may not want anything to do with me if I'm not, and I can't exactly go around broadcasting that I'm the Slayer to just anyone."

Xavier nodded, understanding her concerns from what he had picked up from her mind. "I understand, Buffy. Although, if you're not a mutant, the students still wouldn't reject you, so you needn't fear that. I wasn't planning on telling them about how you acquired your unique skills, just that you are a black belt in several different disciplines, and I hired you to teach them whenever you come out to visit Scott."

Buffy nodded, although she was still skeptical. "Would they really believe that I have mastered several different disciplines when I'm only sixteen?"

Xavier shrugged. "I don't see why not, Buffy. If it is something that you are passionate enough about, you can accomplish anything."

"I'll think about it and let you know soon, Professor," Buffy promised.

"That's all I ask," Xavier replied with a smile.

Seeing as how there were no more challenges in the offering for Buffy, she turned away from the group and walked several feet away. Closing her eyes, she began breathing slowly and deeply, and moved into the first _kata_ that Giles had taught her, which she often used to cool down after one of her workouts with him.

The X-Men all watched with interest as Buffy moved through the simple, graceful forms. Every movement, despite the _kata's_ simplicity, was grace personified. They could all see the power of the Slayer, power that Buffy kept well contained.


	32. Conversations

_**Author's Note: *creeps out of hiding* Uh...hi! I apologize for the delay in getting this updated. Just like on "Lost and Found" my muse abandoned me and I had to track it down and corral it. I hope I didn't lose anyone during the unanticipated hiatus, and for once I'm pleased with this chapter. This chapter partially answers the last poll, which is now officially closed. So...read and don't forget to review!  
**_

_**Chapter Thirty-two: Conversations**_

_"Hello?"_

"Willow?" Buffy spoke into the handset.

_"Buffy?! Oh how are you? How's New York? Is Scott's house really nice? I wish I could be there with you!"_ her best friend babbled.

"Whoa, Willow! Down girl!" Buffy laughed, reining her best friend's babble down. "I'm fine, New York is amazing, and yes, the Professor's mansion is amazing. I wish you were here too. It's so nice to be away from the Hellmouth and to have a real vacation. Scott has been fantastic, and Jean and Ororo took me into Salem Center to go shopping one day."

Willow's laughter floated over the telephone line. _"Just into Salem Center? You haven't gone into the city yet?"_

Buffy frowned, remembering how the previous evening had ended. "We were going to see a show on Broadway last night, but it didn't work out." Before her friend could ask why, she elaborated. "Vamps."

_"Oh, Buffy…I'm sorry. What happened?"  
_  
"I had to kick their undead asses, but I wrecked my dress doing so. Scott is trying to get the theater company to let us change the tickets to another night later this week."

_"Well, I hope you get to go. We all miss you out here, and we're doing our best to keep the vamp population down,"_ Willow replied.

"You're not taking any chances, are you?" Buffy responded, her tone taking on a sharp edge.

_"No, no. Xander and I are going on patrol with Angel every other night or so, and he's going out every evening. But the population's been low ever since the night of the dance. Angel says he's never heard of anything like it. He thinks that the Master's followers must have scattered, although he suspects they'll be back to their old tricks as soon as one of them steps forward to unite the rest of them."  
_  
"Wonderful," Buffy groaned. "I'm sure that'll be a nice welcome home present for me."

_"Well, at least whichever vamp it is couldn't possibly be as bad as the Master, right?"_

Buffy frowned and thought about it. "I don't think so…unless it's the Anointed One who manages to unite them. We really don't know anything about him."

_"I think Giles is trying to research that for you. He mentioned something about it a few days ago."_

"Is Xander there, Wills?" Buffy asked, changing the subject.

_"No. We're meeting at the library later tonight to patrol with Angel though. Do you want me to tell them you called?"_ Willow asked.

Buffy chewed her lip. She wanted to talk to her Watcher and Angel about what had been happening out here. "What time are you meeting? I'll check with the Professor and see if he'll care if I call again tonight when you'll all be there."

_"I think Angel said he wanted to meet at eleven, but won't that be really late for you, Buffy? I mean, it'll be something like two a.m. won't it?"_ Willow asked.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah. I'll probably still be awake, but that's not a good hour to make a cross-country phone call."

_"I could call everyone and ask them to meet just after sunset. That would be a better time. It would only be nine or so out there."_ Willow offered.

"Would you, Wills?" Buffy asked, gratefully. She really needed to talk to Giles after the news that she'd received that morning after her sparring session with Scott. It wasn't exactly disturbing, but it would change the way that she approached her Slaying, and she felt that Giles deserved to be the first one that she told.

_"Sure, Buffy. I'll make sure that they're all here so you can talk to everyone. Well, except for Cordelia that is, since she's already left for Mexico or wherever her parents decided to go this year…"_ Willow replied.

"Willow, slow down!" Buffy laughed. "I don't care to talk to Cordelia, so that's fine. Just as long as I can talk to Xander, Giles, Angel, and you, I'll be happy."

_"Sorry,"_ Willow apologized. _"I'll let you go then so I can start tracking everyone down. We'll be in the library tonight, and I'm sure that Angel and Giles will be thrilled to hear from you."_

"Okay. 'Bye, Willow. I'll talk to you tonight," Buffy promised.

_" 'Bye, Buffy,"_ Willow replied, before hanging up the phone. Buffy hung the phone up on her end, before replacing the handset into the base and then wandering towards the library. She curled up on one of the over-stuffed sofas that were strategically positioned in the large room and hugged a pillow to her chest, thinking about how everything was going to be changing soon, even if she didn't know all the details yet.

_**"What did you find out, Professor?" Scott asked as he and Buffy answered the Professor's summons to his lab in the sub-basement.**_

Xavier turned away from his computer and gestured for them to take a seat at the stools that were scattered around the room for anyone assisting him with his work. As they did so he typed several more things into the computer and then printed whatever he was working on.

"Well, as it turns out, I found several interesting things about your DNA, Buffy," he replied to Scott's question. "Most importantly, to you at any rate, is that you do have the mutant X gene."

Buffy let out a breath that she hadn't been aware that she was holding. "So I am a mutant?"

Xavier nodded. "Yes, you are."

"If that's the case, Professor, why hasn't her power manifested itself yet?" Scott asked the question that Buffy was hesitant to.

"Buffy's only sixteen, Scott. It's not unusual for mutant powers to manifest late, given what we've seen thus far," the Professor pointed out. "Your powers didn't manifest until you were fifteen. And we know that powers tend to emerge only when the mutant is under a great deal of emotional stress."

"Then they should have already," Buffy pointed out. "My conflict with the Master was about as stressed as I've ever been."

"True, but there's something else to consider, Buffy. You are the Slayer. It is possible that because you are the Slayer, your Slayer abilities are suppressing your mutant powers in some fashion. I'm afraid that I don't know enough about the Slayer legacy that Mr. Giles described to me to know how that would affect you."

He picked up the papers from the printer and flipped through them until he found what he was looking for. Laying the papers out in front of the cousins, he pointed at something. "This is a comparison between you and Scott, Buffy. On the right here are the results of the last test I ran on Scott, and on the left are you results. Here is the mutant X gene, which as you can see, you both carry." When they nodded, he continued. "Here, however," he pointed to something on Buffy's test results, "is another anomaly that I've never seen before. It's quite possible that what ever this anomaly is, it is the factor in your genes that enabled you to be called as a Slayer."

"But you're not sure, sir?" Scott quickly deduced.

Xavier shook his head. "No, I'm not. It could be something that is simply unique to Buffy as well. Buffy is the first Slayer I've ever run these types of tests on, and without having another Slayer's blood to compare her results to, I can only theorize based on what evidence I do have."

Buffy sighed. "So, what do we do now?"

Xavier looked at Scott. "Well, as I see it, we have two options. The first would be that we can simply wait and see if your power manifests on its own. If being the Slayer is suppressing your mutation in some way, your mutation will likely never emerge, or it would take an extreme set of circumstances to force it past whatever is suppressing it."

"And the second option?" Buffy asked.

"We can work with you in the Danger Room and try to discover what your power is and help you learn to control it. If it is just late in awakening, it could explode into full force with no warning, and that could be dangerous to you and to the people around you."

Buffy hugged the pillow more tightly to her chest. She hadn't given the Professor and Scott an answer about what she wanted to do yet. She had asked for time to think about it, and she desperately wanted to talk to Giles, to find out if he had any advice for her.

At the moment, she was leaning towards working to discover what her mutation was. She knew that the Professor had a point. If her mutation was something potentially dangerous and it suddenly emerged with no warning, she could easily hurt someone without intending to. It was also possible that whatever her power was, it was something that she could use to help her in her Slaying.

_Why did I agree to be tested? I know that I needed to know. I needed to be prepared for the possibility, given that Scott is a mutant, but I was happy not knowing. Now I have no idea when or if my new "gift" will manifest, and it could put Willow, Xander, or Giles in danger_, she wondered.

"Buffy?"

She looked up and saw Ororo standing in the entrance to the library, a soft smile of sympathy on her face. The weather witch moved into the room and sat down beside her on the couch. "Do you want to talk?" At Buffy's raised eyebrow, Ororo's smile brightened a little. "I talked to Scott."

Buffy sighed. "I thought I had a grip on things. I was coming to accept, if not particularly enjoy my Slayer powers. Yeah, being the Chosen One sucks beyond words at times, but it was my life and I thought I had accepted it. Now I find out that I have yet another "gift" bestowed on me without my consent, and I have no idea what to expect from it, and no way of knowing if it will be a good thing or a bad thing."

"You're not alone, Buffy," Ororo confided. Buffy looked curious and the weather witch continued. "I think every student who comes into this school feels the same way. I know I did. Has Scott told you my story?" When Buffy shook her head, Ororo leaned back into the couch and turned slightly to face Buffy.

"I was born in New York City, but I don't remember much about that time. My father was a journalist for a major city newspaper, and he met and married my mother when he was on assignment in Egypt. She immigrated here and three years after I was born, they moved back to Egypt. It wasn't my mother's native home of Kenya, but it was Africa, and my mother was thrilled." Ororo paused. "My mother was a princess in Kenya, but she didn't care about her status, because she loved my father."

"So that makes you a princess too?" Buffy asked.

Ororo paused. "I suppose so, yes, although I've never claimed the rights that my heritage granted me. My mother never treated it like it was a big deal, so I never thought twice about it. A few years later, there was a terrorist attack in Cairo, where we were living. An airplane was shot down and it crashed into the apartment building where we were living. The building collapsed and I was buried in the rubble. When I was finally dug out, I ran away. My parents had both died in the collapse, and there was no other family. I lived on the streets until I was thirteen, picking pockets and learning the ways of the street thief to survive. When I was thirteen, something was calling me back to Kenya, so I gathered my few possessions and made my way back to the plains of Kenya."

Buffy was still listening, not sure where this story was going, although she did feel sorry for the elegant, exotic woman sitting next to her. She'd had a much harder life than Buffy had to this point.

"It wasn't long after I returned to Kenya that my mutant powers emerged. I was confused at first, but I accepted it, because along with being a princess, my mother's family had powerful priestesses in the bloodline, and I simply accepted that my newfound control of the weather was due to that legacy. A local tribe saw me working the weather and took me in, believing me to be a goddess, and they worshipped me as such for ten years. Then I met Charles and he revealed the truth to me, that I was a mutant and that my powers could benefit all of humanity. He convinced me to leave Kenya and come here, both for more training and to teach others the control that I had learned on my own, and to help further the cause of mutant rights."

Buffy was silent as she digested the story that Ororo had told her. She could see some similarities between the two of them. Ororo had had a rough childhood, but her life had gotten a little easier as she grew older. Buffy had had a good childhood, and her life had gotten worse as she got older. Ororo had had to deal with loss and several important changes in her life already, and she wasn't that much older than Buffy.

Finally she asked the question that she'd been chewing over since she'd heard the news that she was a mutant. "Ororo, what do you think I should do? Should I actively try to find out what my gift is, or should I just leave it alone and wait for it to manifest on its own?"

"I'm a little biased, unfortunately," Ororo admitted, "but I think you should try to discover what it is. The more you know and the sooner you find out, the sooner you can start working to learn to control it."

Buffy sighed. "That's sort of what I was thinking too, but there's also the factor of my Slayer powers. We don't know if they'll continue to suppress my mutation, or if I can force my new gift through my powers. My gift might even affect my Slaying in some way, and we don't know how. I'm the Slayer, but I don't know that much about the origin of my powers. My first Watcher never told me anything about it, and if Giles knows anything he's keeping it to himself."

"First Watcher?" Scott asked, entering the room in time to hear his cousin's comment.

"Giles is my second Watcher," Buffy answered him. "My first Watcher was a man named Merrick. He was the one who was sent to me when I was first Called. He died a few months later when Lothos took him out right in front of me. After that I sort of operated on my own until I moved to Sunnydale and met Giles." She frowned. "Didn't Giles tell you this?"

"I think he mentioned it when he first told me you were the Slayer, but since we were dealing with your coma at the time, it slipped my mind," Scott admitted. "I wasn't processing very much when we had that initial discussion."

Buffy nodded. "I've given it some thought, Scott, and I think I'd like to go ahead and try to find out what my mutant power is, but I want to consult Giles before I make a final decision. He deserves to know since it could affect my Slaying in some way."

"You also want to be careful about forcing your power into the open," Ororo cautioned them. "Some mutations have side affects, like Toad, Mystique, and Sabretooth. Their mutations had physical effects as well as their own special abilities."

Buffy looked horrified. "You mean I could end up looking like that Mystique person?"

Scott looked resigned. "It's possible, Squirt, although it doesn't seem to happen very often, at least not with the mutants we've seen. At this school, there's only two or three students that had some type of physical change, and a lot of those were minor and not noticeable unless you know what you're looking for. Mystique and the rest of the Brotherhood are on the extreme end of the spectrum."

Buffy looked a little more relieved at that. While having a mutant gift could be useful to her Slaying, she also didn't want to wake up with blue, scaly skin that would prevent her from being able to walk in public ever again. "That's a relief. I think."

Scott shrugged. "Even I had some physical change, although not as extreme. I'm forced to wear these glasses now, and I'm effectively color-blind. The Professor thinks that it's entirely possible that if I hadn't been in the plane accident when I was a child, I might be able to control my powers at will without the need for these glasses. But since I was in a coma after the accident, he thinks I must have sustained some minor brain damage that damaged my ability to control my powers."

Buffy sighed. "Let me talk to Giles about it and then I'll give you my decision."

Scott nodded and changed the subject. "Interested in going outside and playing some tennis with me, Squirt? I haven't had a good opponent in a while, and you used to like to play with me when I lived with you in L.A."

Buffy smiled, appreciating his attempt to distract her from the news. "Sure, I'd love to Scott. I'll go easy on you."

Scott gave her a mock-offended look. "Go easy? If I recall, I used to beat you all the time."

Buffy grinned at him as she rose to her feet. "Slayer strength, remember?"

Ororo smiled softly to herself as she watched the two cousins bicker as they left the room together, heading for the back lawn and the tennis court. Buffy was still adjusting to the news, but Scott had been there and gone through the same thing. He'd help Buffy get through whatever would happen next.

******************************************************

_Several hours later…_ a cultured British voice asked.

"Buffy, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Giles," Buffy replied. "Are the others there yet?"

_"Not at the moment, but I expect them to arrive any minute. Did you want to talk to them?"_

"When they get there, yes. Right now though, I want to talk to you. It's important, and I need your advice about a decision. Well, a couple of decisions, actually."

_"I'm listening, Buffy. What's wrong?"_

"Nothing's wrong, really. It's just that there might be some changes coming that would affect my Slaying and I need to know what you think," Buffy hedged.

_"Buffy, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I won't be able to give you any advice,"_ Giles told her gently.

"Okay." Buffy took a deep breath. "You know that Scott and Professor Xavier and the others are mutants, right?"

_"Yes."  
_  
"Well, last night when Scott and I were in the city, we were attacked by another group of mutants. Scott says they're mutant terrorists, they call themselves the Brotherhood of Mutants. Apparently he's had run-ins with them before. I sort of let slip to the leader that Scott and I were cousins and she assumed that I was a mutant too. She tried to recruit me to her cause."

Giles sniffed in a way that told Buff that he was questioning Mystique's sanity. _"I take it that you told them no?"_

"Of course. I kicked their asses pretty thoroughly too, and that might have fueled her impression that I was a mutant too. Anyway, when we got back to the Professor's, I decided to find out if there was any merit to her idea that I was a mutant. Professor Xavier ran some tests on a sample of my blood, and it turns out…" Buffy trailed off.

_"Buffy? What did the tests show?"_ Giles asked after several moments of silence.

Buffy sighed. "It turns out that I am a mutant, Giles. We're not sure if it's because Scott is a mutant and we're related, or if it's just a coincidence. Professor Xavier says it's not unusual that my mutation hasn't emerged yet, and he thinks that it's possible that my Slayer powers are masking or suppressing my mutant gift. Neither of us knows enough about the Slayer legacy to know if we're right in thinking that."

Giles was quiet for several long moments, and Buffy could imagine him polishing his glasses as he thought. When he didn't say anything, she spoke again. "Giles? Stop polishing your glasses and talk to me. Your silence is bothering me."

_"Oh, erm…yes."_ There was a sound of something rustling and then Giles cleared his throat. _"I apologize, Buffy. You just caught me by surprise. But I don't exactly understand what you need my advice about."  
_  
"Professor Xavier and the others all think that I need to work with them and try to actively trigger my mutation," Buffy said. "I can sort of see both sides of the issue though, and I'm not sure what the best choice would be. If I leave my mutation alone and trust that being the Slayer will continue to suppress it, I have nothing to worry about. But if it's not being masked, it could emerge at full power at any time and if it happens around innocent people, someone could get hurt, and I'd be revealed as a mutant. Scott's told me some stories about the persecution that mutants have gone through and I don't want to go through that."

_"That sounds logical. You don't want to take a chance on hurting someone."_

"Yeah, but at the same time, if I actively try to force it awake, we have no idea how it might emerge or how powerful, or if it's something that will even benefit me. It could be a gift I can use in my Slaying, but there's also a chance that I might have some type of physical mutation that will make me readily identifiable as a mutant, and I don't know how Mom and the others would take it if I come home…different."

Giles sighed. _"Buffy, I really don't know how to advise you. I know almost nothing about mutants except for what little I learned from your cousin and Professor Xavier. I agree that there are advantages and disadvantages to each option, but I think you need to trust them. They're the experts in this case. I'll certainly support you and continue to be your Watcher, no matter what happens, because you're still the Slayer. That won't change."_

Buffy let out a slow breath as Giles relieved one of her fears. If she did change in some way, she really didn't want to be cut-off from her friends and her Watcher. "Okay. I'll tell the Professor and Scott that I want to try and find out what my power is, rather than waiting until it manifests on its own."

_"I think that's a wise decision, Buffy, and a very mature one,"_ Giles replied before the background noise increased. A moment later Buffy heard his voice, muffled, as if he had out his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone to talk to someone. There was a brief conversation, and then Giles returned. _"Buffy, Willow and Xander just arrived. Do you want to talk to them, or do you have anything else we need to talk about?"_

"I think that's all that I needed, Giles," Buffy replied. "Let me talk to Xander, please? I talked to Willow earlier."

_"Just a moment, Buffy," _Giles replied before there was more noise in the background. A moment later, Buffy heard the phone being passed off to someone and then Xander's voice filled her ear. _"Hey, Buff. Having fun in New York?"_

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, I am Xander. It's been great getting to spend a lot of time with Scott and to get caught up on each others' lives, but I wish you and Willow were here. You'd freak out at the size of Professor Xavier's mansion."

_"Well, we miss you out here. Hasn't been much activity on the vamp side, so Will and I have been spending a lot of time at the Bronze. They've had some really good bands in the last couple of weeks."_

"Well, I should be back in a couple of weeks. I want to be back before school starts, just to make sure that everything's still good on the supernatural side of things. I want to try to stay ahead of things rather than letting them build up like they did this year."

_"Angel, Willow, and I are going out pretty regularly. We'll let you know if anything that we can't handle shows up, or if it seems like things are picking up again."_

Buffy wondered if she should tell her friends about her newfound mutation. Even though she didn't know what her gift was yet, they deserved to know. She hesitated, trying to decide.

_"Buff?"_

"Oh, sorry, Xand. I was just thinking about something. Listen, can I talk to Giles again for a second? I thought of something else I needed to tell him."

_"Sure, Buffy. Hang on, let me flag him down."_

"Thanks, Xander. I'll make sure I bring you home a souvenir from the City."

_"Sounds good, Buffy. Here's G-man."_

There was the sound of the phone being passed off again, and then Giles came back on the line. _"Buffy? Is something wrong?"  
_  
"No, Giles. I just wanted to ask you not to mention anything about my new…gift to the others. Not right now anyway. I want to tell them myself, in person. Hopefully by the time I get home, I'll have some idea what my gift is."

_"If that's what you want, Buffy."_

"It is, Giles. They deserve to hear it in person. The only reason I didn't wait to tell you was because I needed your advice on how it would affect my Slaying to find out."

_"I understand. I won't say anything."_ There was a pause and Buffy heard another voice. _"Angel just got here, Buffy. Would you like to speak to him?"_

"Yes, please."

It was only a couple of seconds before Angel's rich Irish-American accent was in her ears. _"Buffy?"_

"Hi, Angel. I've missed you."

_"I miss you too. Are you having fun?"_

"Yeah. There were a few rough patches when I first got here. Nightmares and all that. But it seems to have gotten a little bit better over the last couple of days." That much at least was true. Whatever the downsides, it did seem like the Professor's Danger Room had done something, although given what had happened, Buffy couldn't quite figure out how. But at least she wasn't dying ten times a night in her dreams anymore. It was just down to two or three, and that wasn't much different than a regular night in Sunnyhell.

_"How much longer are you planning to stay out there?"_ Angel asked.

"School starts in a month and a half, so I was thinking another three weeks to a month, unless Scott and the Professor get tired of having me here or they need me to leave early. I think the Professor's students come back in another two weeks or so. They don't have as long a summer break because they go year-round. So if I'm in the way, I'll probably come back early. Scott and I know each others' secrets now, so there's nothing to stop him from visiting me, or vice versa."

_"I'll be glad to have you back in Sunnydale."_

"I don't know if it'll be nice to be back, but it'll be nice to see you and the rest of the gang," Buffy replied. "Speaking of which, thank you for taking over the guarding of the Hellmouth. I needed this vacation."

_"I'm glad to help."_ He hesitated for a moment. _"I probably could have done more in the last year, but I wasn't sure how much help you wanted me to give you, especially after you found out about me."_

"I'm always glad for more help, as long as you're careful," Buffy admitted. She paused for a moment, before saying, reluctantly, "I'd probably better go. I'm tying up the Professor's phone on a long-distance call. Tell Willow I'll email her tomorrow with details and pictures, since I already talked to her today."

_"I will. Be safe, Buffy, and come home soon."_ Angel replied.

"I will. 'Bye."

_"Good-bye,"_ Angel replied before the line clicked and a dial tone greeted her. Buffy hung the phone up in the cradle and then rose from the chair she'd been sitting in and went to look for Scott and the Professor. She'd promised to give them a decision about her mutation after she had talked to Giles.

She found them in the Professor's study, deep in conversation. She didn't want to interrupt them, but the Professor waved her in without looking up. She edged into the room and waited while her cousin and the Professor finished their conversation. After a moment, Scott turned to her with a smile. "Is everything all right at home?"

"Yeah. They miss me and can't wait for me to come home, but everything is quiet from what they said. I don't expect it to last, but at the moment there's no pressing need for me to go home." She paused for a moment. "I talked to Giles to get his opinion, but he couldn't tell me much more about how my mutation would affect my Slaying or vice versa. He said the decision was up to me."

Scott rose to his feet and came over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder and looking down at her. "Have you decided what you want to do?"

Buffy nodded. "There's no point in taking a chance on anyone's safety. If it's possible, I want to try to see if we can find out what my gift is and learn to control it."

Scott nodded, his expression filled with sympathy as he squeezed her shoulder gently.

The Professor steepled his fingers and rested them against his chin as he studied her. "Then we'll start in the morning, if that's agreeable to you, and if you don't mind working in the Danger Room."

Buffy hesitated, but Scott saw her expression and quickly moved to reassure her. "No programs this time, Squirt. The only reason we need to use the Danger Room is because it's out of sight, and without knowing what your powers are, we can't take the chance that they might be detected by something. We have complete control in the Danger Room, and it can shield the rest of the school from just about anything."

Buffy hesitated again, but finally nodded. "All right."

_**Don't forget to read and review!!!**_


End file.
